Resolutions, Paperbacks, and a Thank You

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sunsetThis year I’ll try to keep it simple. These are really more like guidelines to remember than resolutions (except maybe for the first one).

Write More – Mostly, I need to get back into the routine of writing after revising for years. I’ll try writing a scene a day. Even as I’m writing this I know I won’t do it. Maybe I should just try to write every day instead.

Read More – I might do a Goodreads challenge for this, but I’d also like to try branching out into reading more poetry and short stories. With that in mind, I’ll start the new year off with Christy Birmingham’s Versions of the Self, a book of poetry that’s been getting great reviews lately.

oceanWalk Along the Ocean – Sometimes I go for weeks or months without seeing the ocean, which is crazy because I live on a sandbar. Life and work too easily get in the way and so I’ll have to make sure to go to the ocean more often, even if it is freezing outside. Sometimes those are the best times to go there.

Give More – My favorite nonprofits are Oceana, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Ocean Conservancy. Oceana and the Environmental Defense Fund will triple any donations and the Ocean Conservancy will double donations made by the end of the year.

Love More – A few years ago, Britt Skrabanek pledged to love more as a new year’s mantra. I thought that was a great idea and have been trying to do that too. The world will always need more love. This means loving not only those closest to us in the new year, but everyone we come in contact with.

Laugh More – I usually add this to my list of resolutions but it’s an easy one to forget. Last year I did at least go to a laughing yoga class with my mom and it really worked. If you haven’t been to a laughing yoga class, it could be something crazy to try in the new year. I promise you’ll laugh more than usual and feel good afterwards.

Ocean Echoes paperback and a thank you

The Ocean Echoes paperback is finally out! Thank you so much to everyone who supported, encouraged, commiserated, and laughed with me through all the years of writing and revising.

Wishing everyone a New Year filled with love and laughter!

65 thoughts on “Resolutions, Paperbacks, and a Thank You”

    • Thank you – and here I was thinking they sounded like everyone else’s resolutions! They aren’t all that specific though, so hopefully it’ll be easier to stick to them. Wishing you a new year filled with happiness!

  2. Sound like good goals. I love the love more and laugh more. Those help us endure anything else that is thrown our way–even really painful things. Happy 2017.

  5. What great ideas – I love looking out at the ocean. We are inland, but I look every chance I get! Congratulations on your paperback and Happy New Year!

    • I’m too far away from the ocean to see it every day too, then after a while you even start to forget it’s there. So I’ll have to remember to get out there more often even if that means missing out on work! 🙂 Thank you and Happy New Year!

  7. A laughing yoga class sounds like the thing to do, to stay happy and to love more… Loving others and ourselves too.
    Wish you a fabulous year ahead shiela 🙂

    • Yes it’s always fun because people have funny laughs and then that just makes you laugh more! I hope everything is going well with you. Wishing you a new year filled with all the best things – peace, love, and laughter!

    • Thanks Gallivanta! Those are all the best things in life. Now I’m looking forward to the new year! 🙂 Wishing you a new year filled with love and peace and lots of nature walks!

  10. These sound like wonderful goals for the New Year. Wish I could do the ‘walk along the beach’ one more. I do have a creek near my townhome. Guess I could walk along the creek more. 😁 Happy New Year, Sheila!

  11. Would agree with all these – in fact the blog card I’m about to post is similar in many ways to your piece – but many are probably more difficult to keep than the usual stuff of New Year resolutions. Write more, laugh more, love more. How difficult it can often be in today’s world.
    Hope 2017 lets you achieve all these and more.

    • I’m hoping they’ll be easy ones to keep since they’re not too specific. 🙂 Maybe as long as we keep remembering them through the year, that will help us to do them all more often. Wishing you a new year filled with love!

  12. Awww…thanks for the love shout-out, doll! Great intention to keep coming back to, for sure.

    This is the first year I’m going to bow out of the Goodreads challenge. I almost made my goal of 30 books this year, but I’m a little shy (unless I lock myself up and read for the next 24 hours!). Feel like I got my reading groove back enough now NOT to feel the need to set a goal with something I enjoy. Too many goals in life as it is! 😉

    Congrats on the paperback! I’m working on converting mine…finally.

    • Yeah, I’m not so sure about plunging into the Goodreads challenge. I like the idea of it because otherwise I wouldn’t keep track of the ones I read, but I also like to read longer books and wouldn’t want the challenge to keep me from doing that. That’s great that you’ll be doing paperbacks! Let me know if you have any questions along the way. I was almost going to add “more goats” to this list but I’ll just have to wish more goats for you instead – and lots of love!!

  13. My resolutions are so similar to yours. Write more. Read more. Love more. And definitely – more walks (on the beach or in the woods – wherever). Walks inspire. Happy New Year!

  14. I do like your ‘more’ resolutions! I would think they would encourage you rather than make you feel anxious or guilty! I’m afraid I gave up making resolutions a while ago – I never managed to keep them up for more than a few weeks! I hope you have a happy and successful 2017, Sheila.

    • Hi Clare! I never usually keep mine either (especially the one to lose 20 lbs or so)! Maybe these will be easier if I keep reminding myself of them, because really they’re the best things in life. Wishing you peace, love, laughter, and lots of great books to read in the new year!

  15. Good resolutions… here is to accomplish these ones (and many others!)… wishing you an excellent 2017 ahead dear Sheila!!!!. 😀

  16. Hi Sheila.
    Happy New Year.
    I stopped making
    New Year’s Resolutions
    As of this year
    It is just so pointless
    I always break them
    For some reason or the other
    So why keep them?
    Why to stress myself
    UNNECESSARILY by making
    New Year’s Resolutions
    That I can never keep?
    Best wishes and regards.
    Ved

    • I usually break them too but for some reason I keep making them. There’s always room for improvement and I like feeling hopeful that the new year will be a better one for everyone. These aren’t too specific, so hopefully if I keep reminding myself of them, I’ll be able to keep them. Happy New Year!

  17. I’m wishing you a year filled with love and laughter. I really enjoyed reading Ocean Echoes and I think it’s wonderful that you’re donating a portion of the proceeds to non profits that exist to protect our oceans.

    • Thanks so much – I’m glad you enjoyed reading the book! Wishing you a new year filled with all the best things in life: love, laughter, peace, happiness, and lots of reading!

  19. I didn’t make any specific resolutions of my own this year but I like yours so much I am going to steal them! And I am going to add one of my own, as a promise to my writer friends, “Review more.” 🙂 Wishing you a book-filled, laughter-filled, love-filled 2017!

    • Hahah – I’ve been trying to review more too so I’ll have to steal yours! Thanks so much and I’ll wish all of those best things for you. Happy New Year and happy reading!

  20. Good choice, starting with Christy’s book, it is a very enjoyable read, she loves her bed that one! I hope you have a great year my friend!

    • I’ve been meaning to get to it since seeing your review. I love the idea of the water theme swirling through it. Thank you and wishing you a new year filled with more great books!

      • A water theme will sit well with all your water themed endeavours of late. I think it will be a good year for books and blogging for all my friend!

  21. I’m so pleased you chose my book to start your reading year, Sheila xx Thanks for the reminder in your post to laugh more ~ Wishing you a healthy 2017 ahead ❤

    • Thanks Christy! I’m looking forward to curling up by the fire with your book. I’m getting toward the end of The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin for now and loving it, but at the same time I can’t wait to start in on your poetry. Wishing you a new year of peace, love, and laughter!

  23. Love your resolutions! I would echo all of them, plus eat more pizza! 🙂 I’m very happy that your book is in paperback now. I shall be ordering it, then when we run into each other someday (which can’t be too far off–we only live about 3 hours apart!) I’m going to have you sign it!!

    Happy New Year and good luck with getting into the writing mode. Which reminds me–I haven’t forgotten your mention of doing a writing challenge in January. You might not have seen my reply that I’d be totally in for something like that. So if you’re still interested come find me!

    • Thanks so much for ordering the book! Yes, we’ll have to run into each other and I’ll take you to lunch at “The Pirate”! I’m pretty sure they have pizza there. 🙂 I haven’t written much of anything yet in January so I must need a writing challenge. Let’s do it! I saw one on Twitter that was something like 500 words per day. Would you want to try that or do our own for 25-30K by the end of the month? We’re supposed to get more snow this weekend so that could help!

      • I like the idea of trying our own with a month-end goal. I need to rewrite a whole draft and it is really kicking my butt! 30,000 words would be a great goal for me–how about you?

        Let’s talk each other up through Twitter, too, throughout the month. We’ll have to come up with a cool hashtag. 🙂

  24. I like your list. I’ve committed to walking, reading, listening, & writing more. Need to add laugh more to my goals. I will, of course, be doing all of these in a “relaxed” fashion a la my One Word of the year!

  25. A very Happy New Year to you Sheila and I like your guidelines – the very word has such positive and possible connotations. Laughing Yoga – that sounds amazing, such a…laugh! If I come across any I promise to go! Wishing you many wonderful creative writing moments. 😀

    • Hi Annika! I wasn’t so sure about laughing yoga at first but it was a lot of fun, especially because there were some people there with funny sounding laughs. Their laughs made us laugh and then pretty soon everyone was laughing like crazy. I hope you’ll have a happy new year filled with lots of laughs!

  26. I love the idea of a laughing yoga class, as I think there isn’t enough comedy or laughter in our lives. Best of luck with your reading challenge, and I would like to thank you for visiting my whacky blog site.

    • It’s always fun to visit you and Bob! Laughing yoga is a lot of fun too. That’s true that we always need more laughter and love.

  27. Great list! The world would be a better place if everyone followed your resolutions. 🙂 And congrats on the release of the paperback!

    • Thank you! Sorry I haven’t been around here in a while – life keeps getting in the way. I hope you’ve had a happy new year so far! 🙂

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