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Resolutions - by KT Chen

12/30/2019

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This post is about writing.  I promise. 

I'll get back to that.

I have never been big on New Year's Resolutions.  Mostly because I can disappoint myself just fine without having a goal that sets me up for it.

Still, just over two years ago, I decided to get into shape.  And I didn't wait for a New Year to do it ... I started in September.  September 17, to be exact.  I know this because I started a workout journal where I recorded my routine each time I worked out.

Last year at this time, I was a year and some change into regularly working out and I decided I would set a goal to work out at least half the days of the year.  

This was not a far stretch for me.  After all, I was *already* working out pretty consistently.  The only difference was that now I had an exact number to reach (183 for the inquisitive among us).

This number, as odd as it sounds, transformed my workouts.  Not that I worked out harder or longer, though, in some cases I did, but, instead, it made me think more about my workouts -- plan more; be more strategic if I were going to miss any.  Mostly, it made me more deliberate in my workouts.

I'd like to report that I met said goal.  -- At one day shy of the end of the year, I have worked out 185 days of the past 364, including this morning.  (I also plan to work out tomorrow, so I should beat my goal by a full 3 days).

Now, the writing part ...

As I was working out this morning I was thinking about how proud I was that I made my goal.  And how disappointed I was that I didn't do more writing this past year.

So, I've decided to attempt another New Year's Resolution.  Two, actually.  The first, is, again, to work out at least half the days of the year.  The second, and this is going to be the harder one, is to write something at least half the days of the year.

As I mulled that second one over, I also thought about what constitutes "writing."  After all, for the past two weeks that I've been on "break," I've actually be working on a research paper.  I haven't written every day, but most days I have cranked out at least two or three paragraphs.  Does that count?

I decided it does.

So, my rules for the writing resolution are:  1) to write at least half the days of the year, and 2) writing can be academic or story related (fiction, creative nonfiction), but it has to be at least 250 words to count.  (Writing and deleting the same sentence, or, for that matter, the same comma, doesn't count - no matter how many times I may do it).

I've also decided to start a new journal on January 1.  It will have notes about writing on one side, and notes about my work outs on the other.  I am hopeful that this will make me as deliberate with my writing as I have become with my workouts.

I also hope that a year from now, I can report favorably on this resolution.

Go forth and write!

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    I write about writing, working out, my dog, being deaf, and anything else I find of interest.

    I post on Mondays, before 9 AM.

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