Julie Hedlund’s anti-resolution revolution (http://www.juliehedlund.com/2016-anti-resolution-revolution/) resonates with me. In the past, resolution writing has felt very much like a chronicle of failures: last year I failed to do X, Y, and Z. But somehow, magically, this year will be different! This approach always feels kind of icky and in the back of my mind I sense that I’m setting myself up for failure.

That’s why Julie’s approach – celebrating successes from the previous year and using them as a base to build upon – feels more hopeful and productive.

Many of my successes from 2015 are modest. And yet, when I compare them to my writing successes from 2014, I see improvement. And, more importantly, I find myself enjoying the process more and more as I give myself over to it.

So though writing a list of “successes” wasn’t my style in the past, I think that in this new era of going “all in” with my writing, celebrating success, in whatever form, might be just the push I need. For those of us, especially women, who’ve been taught to be humble, not to brag, not to promote ourselves, this can seem foreign. We think people will say something like “Who does she think she is?” or “She calls those ‘successes’?” But owning that writing is vital to me and that this is where I am right now is powerful.

So here’s my list of writing successes from 2015:

1. I completed 12 x 12 for the second year; this year I drafted 13 new picture book manuscripts and made countless revisions.

2. Through 12 x 12, I joined a new critique group; I am grateful for the insightful feedback and encouragement from my group; I think this one is going to stick!

3. I received two “positive rejections” from agents. As in, this story didn’t quite work for me but I like your writing and I’d be happy to see more of your work. Progress!

4. I participated in my first ever Twitter pitch party and received a favorite from an agent.

5. Deciding to go “all in” with my writing led me to initiate my blog and to number 6 below.

6. I participated in my first-ever online writing contests – Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie and Annual Holiday Writing contests and received honorable mentions in both.