In Need of a Routine: Don’t Call it a Resolution

I posted last week to my BlueSky account that my 10-year-old punked me out by writing his first book. I can’t imagine having the motivation to do such a thing at 10 years old. When I was 10, I was more worried about scratching out minimally-completed homework assignments in as little time as possible. This, of course, let catch the last vestiges of sunlight to play outside. Not my kid. This child sits his squirmy self down and writes a freaking book. Good job, kid. Way to kick old Dad in the ass.

It’s been a dream of mine to write a book or two. I have some social media friends who are authors. This includes one who is a full-time writer. Oh, and they give lectures and presentations on Celtic folklore. They also translate Old Irish to English for fun. Basically, they are an all-around bad-ass in the Celtic and Norse Paganism communities. Another of my friends is an author, a sculptor, and just a absolute stellar human being (who even included my name in the credits of their first book!). I’ve always been somewhat envious of them while simultaneously being incredibly proud of them.

I’ve never had aspirations of being a full-time writer. That said, I have had multiple starts and stops over the years on a variety of projects. These projects range from this very blog to non-fiction books. I even tinkered with some beginning world-building for a high fantasy-style novel that never got out of the gates.

If I was the deflective type, I would blame it on my ADHD, but that’s a cop-out to me. I would blame it on lack of time, but that just another excuse. We make time for what is important to us. Up to this point, I simply have not prioritized any creative outlet of any sort.

I’m going to start small here in 2025. I’m going to be 50 years old (told you!) this year, and I’m not getting any younger. It’s time to start developing some habits when it comes to writing. To that end, I’m going to impose some basic rules and deadlines for myself.

The Plan

1. One legitimate blog posting per calendar week (Sunday through Saturday). Quips, blurbs, and other short-form postings don’t count. It must be longer than 500 words.
2. The posting will come from a self-formed thought when possible. When I find I am lacking in the creativity department, I will resort to writing prompts gleaned from various sources. If I use a writing prompt, I will link to where I found it and give proper credit when possible.
3. If I post multiple times in a week, it will not count toward the next week’s post.
4. Post scheduling will be permitted, with a caveat. Posts written one week will not be counted for the next week, regardless of the date published. Any scheduled posts will be labeled: “this post was originally entered on DDMMMYYY and scheduled to publish on DDMMMYYYY.” at the end of the post. This serves two purposes:
   • accountability for the self-imposed one posting per week expectation
   • to document the posting date for any content that is out of date due to current events, etc. Such outdated content will be edited and republished to include new information, opinions, etc.
5. If I miss posting for a week, I will make up for it the next week. If I miss two consecutive weeks, I will come up with some self-flagellating punishment to impose on myself.
6. I will eventually have a specific day of the week for my main posting to publish, but not yet.
7. I am a terminal tinkerer. I have been tweaking and restarting and deleting and reinstalling my blog for almost a decade. The obsession with tinkering is so pervasive that I have to put a hard limit on it. As a safeguard against such distractions, I’ll avoid site modifications until the weekly post is finished.
8. After a period of time (could be 6 months, could be a year), I will revisit this and see where I stand with everything. If things are going well, I will take the next step and look toward writing the ever-daunting book I have always wanted to write.

I think that’s a good start. I’ll update this page with more rules and information as I find necessary. This document doesn’t count as this or any other week’s post, by the way.

I don’t believe New Year’s resolutions to be anything more than ways for marketers to sell gym memberships and guilt trips. I do, however, think that challenging oneself to develop constructive habits are legitimate. This is my challenge to myself.

To quote a certain character from my favorite podcast, “Ever onward, Ever forward! Yes?”. Yes, Mr. Man from the Railroad. Yes.