Resolutions: Lori Pohlman + Messy Marie Kondo + Nonlutions + Pod

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How’s New Year treating you? We’re not halfway into January, yet already I’m jumpy over how it’s galloping by. Forget resolutions — I’m resolutely non-lutious, cuz making those would freak me out worse. At this point in my search for representation of the three novels I’ve written, I’m querying my ‘A list,’ deciding a deadline for if I should move onto ‘B list,’ and another for if it’s best to self-publish.

People who talk about how great self-publishing is are correct. But the magic (though not as simple as many imagine) of taking the helm of one’s publishing destiny applies to non-fiction topics and genre fiction categories that are easily googled. Marketing literary fiction, by contrast, is as google-able as the ocean is wide. Sure, one-in-a-gazillion Lotto winners exist. Set that aside for a moment, though. Think on Coca Cola or McDonald’s or whatever huge corporation that’s got plenty of name and brand recognition, moreover seats in cultural mythology — those giants never stop pouring money into advertising…

Never mind me and my wobbling nerves… I’m feeling better (alright, in a smug kinda way) once I learned Marie Kondo, queen of the tidies, says, “My home is messy,” since she’s now a mom of three…

What I really want to get to is how taken I am by how today’s guest blogger’s posts are consistently written with candor, talent, and perseverance.

Author — public library manager — and former teacher — Lori Pohlman blogs from a historic Nevada parsonage where she, her husband, and three kitties live. Her articles appeared in noteworth publications such as The Quarterly of the National Writing Project and California English. Read more about her and her novels at her site, LakeArrowheadLadyWriter.

Here she shares the admirably optimistic and focused steps she’s taking to wrangle her goals this year…

…And Away We Go! by Lori Pohlman

Holiday decorations are neatly put away, the house is vacuumed, fresh snow adorns my little mountain town … even our new games, Poetry for Neanderthals and Really Loud Librarians, are back in their boxes … Just for now! They are pretty irresistible and will be coming out to play again soon, I am sure.

It’s time! Time to return to creative routines that have benefitted my writing in the past, and beyond that, time to sample new practices, explore new resources, and refine and refresh goals. This is all wonderful, and there is much to enjoy in the process, but, honestly, it terrifies me some, too.

I imagine many of you are way ahead of me—the sense of time passing courses strong in January, surges and jitters the blood in my veins. I think, maybe it’s too late. I’ve already experienced more Januarys than many of you, and what, I ask myself, what really, have I accomplished? At the moment, it doesn’t feel like much.

Not enough. The past is gone and what if I run out of time? There is still so much to do! That rush of negative energy, self-doubt, and fear naturally causes my heart to beat faster and strain harder (to please me? I wonder, and this, too, brings a pang of guilt), but I sit down, gather my thoughts, and begin.

2024 is not a race, I remind myself, at least not for me. And I take a deep breath. Sitting next to my laptop is my new Breathe Journal, a special edition magazine that I picked up at the airport on my way home from spending Christmas with my family in California. It’s a guided planner that focuses on wellness, kindness, mindfulness, and inspiration. It’s called Breathe, so that’s what I continue to do. Gradually, I relax. Writing, I remember, always brings me home, to me.

Here then, are a few New Year’s goals, some specific to writing, some not. Perhaps one or two of them will spark something that could help you on your own journey. (Breathe Journal: A Guided 52-Week Planner, a reissue of a Breathe Special Edition, www.breathemagazine.co.uk on display until 2/16/24)

1. Join the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. This will mostly only require signing up and paying dues at first, but in order for it to be beneficial, I will have to participate! (There are writers’ associations out there for writers of all stripes! This one caught my attention, because it seems like a great fit for my current projects, but a quick search of writers’ associations online will lead you to many possibilities—international, national, historical, children’s, freelance, fiction, non-fiction, Christian, medical, horror, mystery…and the list goes on.)
2. Send out one or more agent queries a week for my manuscript, A Fine Suddenness.
3. Revise my Bodies of Smoke manuscript and get it ready for querying by June 30.
4. Research, write, and attempt to get an article published on a topic of personal interest—a problem I struggle with and want to find answers for.
5. “Marie Kondo” my home and possessions. Start with my clothes! (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo)
6. Find a new general practitioner. My family doctor moved away. Get yearly blood work and wellness exam done.
7. Continue nature walks, at least 4 times a week, but shooting for 6!
8. Continue reading—a lot—in the genre I’m writing in, and in oh-so-many others. Keep learning, and keep an open mind! (Working in a library is great for this goal, making it almost effortless, to be honest! If you don’t happen to work in a library, never fear! Visit your local library often in person, and don’t forget to use the online resources!)
9. Visit bookstores!
10. Continue meeting with my wonderful writing group friends every other Wednesday throughout the year. Share, encourage, cry, and laugh!

I’d love to hear what your goals are! What has worked in the past, and what new ideas do you have?

Above all, wishing you a life of peace, love, kindness, creativity, and good health.

– Lori