2024 marks my sixth year in a row of New Year’s episodes on my weekly podcast, Write-minded, which means I’ve now had six years of recording my resolutions and sharing them publicly.
I love this list! I've done many of these things. Other ideas I would add: reread your work, just for joy, as a reader might. Outline ideas for future books. Come up with ideas for book titles. Try to sell your books to local businesses, and when you do, tell them about other indie authors and their books. Submit your book for award consideration. Nominate other indie authors for book awards. When you read someone else's work, circle or underline interesting words, sentence structures, passages.
Thank you for all the links in this post and how these are ways to live the aspiration of being a generous, active writer by small doable steps. A few more ideas. Support a Friend of the Public Library event (local chapter). Add a reference to ordering books through Bookshop.org to your website as many people still don't know how it supports indie bookstores. Follow other authors on BookBub since building to 1000 followers Read and review other authors on Net Galley to help build positive momentum toward release. Follow/thank bookstagrammers who cheer on books in one's genre since they are booklovers and bring loving books to life.
THIS will be bookmarked, pinned, taped, saved, stapled, nailed to the front of my important stuff. The amount of information and inspiration in this post is truly amazing!! Thank you Brooke!
THANKS, Brooke. I needed that to keep the momentum going! I met you at your Memoir Conference, July 22, 2016, as I was nearing completion of my first draft. 8 drafts and 5 years of querying later... we'll see what 2024 brings. Happy New Year!
What an inspiring list, Brooke! So many of these suggestions are about community, connection, and commitment -- the building blocks of the writing life.
That list is exhausting. I have two podcasts and write on Medium and just started on Substack. I barely have the time to keep up with that. I also work two jobs to keep us afloat. So, there is that.
Love this, Brooke! I've done many of these things, like starting a Substack ("This Won't End Well: On Loving Greek Tragedy"), which I was able to do because I joined your online writing group that helped me make time for it! I'm going to pitch to The Moth and others, submit submit submit, and decide whether or not I want to keep dragging my memoir around like the chains on Marley's ghost. That's the tough one.
Thanks for this great list, Brooke. I regularly do many of them, am committed to some of them (my Substack & my new website), and want to play around with even more of them. Next project? Not sure yet... but am exploring. See you in the New Year.
This is such an inspiring list and I was pleased that I have done some already and also motivated to do more! Thank you, Brooke, for this positive, move forward, reflective post.
This was wonderful. So many good ideas and I’m going to try a few. I’ve signed up for your class on 2/4 and I’m excited for this talk. Thanks, Brooke, and Happy New Year! Here we come 2024!
I love this list! I've done many of these things. Other ideas I would add: reread your work, just for joy, as a reader might. Outline ideas for future books. Come up with ideas for book titles. Try to sell your books to local businesses, and when you do, tell them about other indie authors and their books. Submit your book for award consideration. Nominate other indie authors for book awards. When you read someone else's work, circle or underline interesting words, sentence structures, passages.
Love your additions!
Thank you for all the links in this post and how these are ways to live the aspiration of being a generous, active writer by small doable steps. A few more ideas. Support a Friend of the Public Library event (local chapter). Add a reference to ordering books through Bookshop.org to your website as many people still don't know how it supports indie bookstores. Follow other authors on BookBub since building to 1000 followers Read and review other authors on Net Galley to help build positive momentum toward release. Follow/thank bookstagrammers who cheer on books in one's genre since they are booklovers and bring loving books to life.
Thank you for adding to the list, Joan!! Great suggestions! Happy New Year!
THIS will be bookmarked, pinned, taped, saved, stapled, nailed to the front of my important stuff. The amount of information and inspiration in this post is truly amazing!! Thank you Brooke!
❤️
THANKS, Brooke. I needed that to keep the momentum going! I met you at your Memoir Conference, July 22, 2016, as I was nearing completion of my first draft. 8 drafts and 5 years of querying later... we'll see what 2024 brings. Happy New Year!
Wow, Linda. Quite a journey! Thanks for reminding me of 2016 and how far we've come since then! Both of us, all of us. :)
What an inspiring list, Brooke! So many of these suggestions are about community, connection, and commitment -- the building blocks of the writing life.
That list is exhausting. I have two podcasts and write on Medium and just started on Substack. I barely have the time to keep up with that. I also work two jobs to keep us afloat. So, there is that.
Love this, Brooke! I've done many of these things, like starting a Substack ("This Won't End Well: On Loving Greek Tragedy"), which I was able to do because I joined your online writing group that helped me make time for it! I'm going to pitch to The Moth and others, submit submit submit, and decide whether or not I want to keep dragging my memoir around like the chains on Marley's ghost. That's the tough one.
Ha! I so relate to that last line... It's hard. We got this, though!!
Thanks for this great list, Brooke. I regularly do many of them, am committed to some of them (my Substack & my new website), and want to play around with even more of them. Next project? Not sure yet... but am exploring. See you in the New Year.
So glad to hear that, Judy. Yes to Next!
What an incredible list! Thank you! Also, the first time I figured out how to save a post, so that I can keep coming back to it!
Oh cool. Do share how!
Thank you for all of the external resources! I'm going to connect with several of 'em! Happy New Year to all of us!
Thank you for the awesome advice!
This is such an inspiring list and I was pleased that I have done some already and also motivated to do more! Thank you, Brooke, for this positive, move forward, reflective post.
So fun ! Love the energy of possibility! ❤️
Amazing! Such a generous and thought-provoking list. Thank you!!
This was wonderful. So many good ideas and I’m going to try a few. I’ve signed up for your class on 2/4 and I’m excited for this talk. Thanks, Brooke, and Happy New Year! Here we come 2024!
Love this list & everyone ideas. I’ve managed to do 31 items on the list & will work on the other 21 in the upcoming year. Thank you!
That's pretty incredible. Good for you!! :)