Procrastination Means Never Having to Say "I'm Early"



New Year's Fireworks at
Magic Island, Honolulu

Happy New Year to you, and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012. (As you can see, putting an end to procrastination is not one of my resolutions for this year.)

2011 was an exciting year for me. I turned an ambitious goal into a reality when I published my first novel. Each New Year's Day offers the possibility of exciting new experiences, and opportunities for accomplishments once only imagined. My writing transported me from the isolated existence of creating a suspenseful story to the world of publishing and marketing the novel.

The extended process reinforced an important adage, that successful writing includes the side component of reading. In a recent interview, one (to remain unnamed) author disagreed with the importance of reading. He (my arbitrary choice of pronoun) stated it wasn’t necessarily time well-spent to read when he could be using that time to write.

In my experience though, reading keeps me grounded, informed, aware, and alive. Novels entertain me. Newspaper articles tie me to a teeming, ever-growing and changing society of ideas. Non-fiction stimulates my mind, allowing me to transform my own thoughts into written words.

2012 is a bright new canvas, its blank face offering a tantalizing challenge. This year, my updated ‘Resolution List’ has all the usual suspects: lose weight, exercise more, eat well, smile often, and enjoy life. At the top of the list are my main goals for the year ahead: polish and publish Book #2 in the Pepper Bibeau mystery series; continue marketing my novels; and start writing the next one. While working on these goals, I intend to smile . . . often.

What is at the top of your list?