Real 2008 Resolutions

I posted a fake list awhile back. Now the real list. Most of it has to do with acknowledging that there is no such thing as "control" and that focusing on creativity means giving up "control."(1) Not to turn on my computer until after lunch on weekdays (and to turn it off by 7pm in the evenings). The point? This would mean I'm writing original fiction longhand. Also, I am sick of living a virtual life. I love the internet and the people I've met because of it, but I also believe that it is a time-waster and that, ultimately, it becomes a negative thing that is addictive and only peripherally connected to creativity.(2) Not to comment on anyone's blog post about anything. This is also wasted energy and it is counterproductive. A real conversation with someone in person--yes. Posting my opinion about things on somebody's blog, whether that person is an idiot or a saint...no. Relatedly, I'm going to curtail my reading of blogs generally, even as I continue to blog here. This is a more limited 2008 only goal because I have a lot of fiction to write, and I don't want to waste my time on other things.(3) Bringing my online work to the consideration of readers, writers, and judges who vote for or in other ways influence awards or year's best anthologies...never again. I've always felt uncomfortable with it for this simple reason: if you can lobby for it or you can influence someone's opinion by talking yourself up in this context...why would you want it or care about it? If I can "game" the system, then the system is crap to begin with. More generally, I want to clear my head of white noise and live in the moment as much as possible. Whatever gets in the way of that...I want gone.(4) Not to seek out information about myself or about others in my field. Which is to say, no more google searches, although this has been a prominent part of doing PR, learning about possible leads for bookstore signings, etc. I need to edit out all white noise as much as possible. (Given a choice between being in front of the computer or taking a hike through pristine marshland...guess what I'd rather be doing...)(5) Continue to push the borders with my fiction and my editing. This doesn't mean writing stuff that is inaccessible or academic. It actually means continuing to explore the connectivity, the creativity, and the things I've learned doing so many different kinds of projects, from the Predator novel on down. All of this feeds into a greater creative gestalt and leads to all kinds of cross-pollination and further growth as a writer.(6) Stop investing myself in people who do not understand or appreciate what I'm doing, and to stop investing time in helping people who just simply don't "get it". This is mostly a function of wanting to be super-creative in 2008. I want to write more fiction than I've ever done before, and more nonfiction. Thus, I need to cut my losses in this area. It doesn't mean I won't continue to be a conduit for putting new writers in touch with people who can help them and related actions, but I have to be much more selfish this year.(7) Now that I've been doing the freelancing for a year and am adjusted to it, do a better job of taking care of Ann, who has more pressures on her than I do since she also has a day job.This may sound like a Zen of Creative Living. It's meant to be.Jeff