Make 2008 YOUR Year of Success!

Happy new year! I hope you had a great Christmas (even if you don't celebrate it in your religion) and are entering 2008 reinvigorated and bursting with enthusiasm to achieve your writing ambitions.

If you haven't yet made a new year's resolution, why not make it that in 2008 you will complete your first non-fiction book, novel or screenplay? After all, you have 364 days left after today. That's loads of time to get one complete first draft - at the very least - under your belt!

I thought I'd also take this opportunity to suggest a number of (free) resources that can help you to achieve your writing goals...

The Motivator program from my publishers, the WCCL Network, is a great piece of software. It uses the power of programmed rehearsal to help you recall and focus on your goals. You can read more about The Motivator, and download your free copy, from this web page.

Another valuable resource I discovered recently is 43 Things. This free website lets you set personal goals or join shared ones. You can then get support from other people who have achieved that goal or are working towards it. When I checked, 18,235 people had entered the goal "write a book". If you choose this particular goal on 43 Things, you will be in very good company!

Don't forget, also, WCCL's free Internet radio station WritersFM. If you have a broadband Internet connection, you can listen to inspiring interviews with successful, published writers, from historical novelist Bernard Cornwell to British politician-turned-author Edwina Currie. You can simply listen in to whatever is being broadcast right now, or choose any of the most popular interviews and download or stream them from the WritersFM site.

And, of course, I can't leave out my free forum at www.mywriterscircle.com. The forum has been running for over two years now, and has almost 6,000 members from all over the world. It's a great place for getting feedback on your work, asking writing-related questions, finding new markets, or just chatting with your fellow writers in our chat room or virtual coffee shop.

I'd like to conclude with a quote from James A. Baldwin: "Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it." Don't ever let the nay-sayers hold you back from pursuing your dream.

Good luck, and please let me know when, later this year, you've completed your book or screenplay!