I’m not one to do resolutions normally as I don’t really believe in self-improvement, which makes me un-American, practically. But last year, I had a mini-breakthrough with resolutions. I resolved that I wasn’t going to fiddle with my phone looking at emails or texts when somebody was *actually there* talking to me, and I did it–and I stuck with it–because fiddling with your damn phone rather than paying attention is rude. I mean, the email will always sit there; time with a real person is valuable.

To wit, I’ll make some writing resolutions.

1. I am going to finish my conference paper 3 weeks before it’s due. Since I am only planning to attend ACSP this year, this should be manageable.

2. I am going to turn around revise and resubmits in a month or less.

3. I am turning off the Internet entirely when I write.

4. When critiquing my own drafts, I am going to write positive, constructive things instead of “this sounds deranged” and “where’s the argument?”