My family spent the past two weeks dealing with a nasty flu. Fever, congestion, coughing, the works. Needless to say I didn’t get much done over the past few weeks but it did give me time to think. I spent much of that time thinking about the upcoming year and changes to make.

I don’t normally make resolutions. If I see a change I want to make, I make it. I don’t wait for a symbolic day. However, this year it seems that change has been more difficult to make. So I’m embracing resolutions.

As I started to think about resolutions the normal ones came to mind.

  • I thought about working out more
  • I thought about eating better
  • I thought about some sort of commitment to save more money

And while I do need to do all of those, none of them resonated with me.

So I kept thinking….

I thought about all of the challenges that I deal with on a regular basis.

I thought about what I wanted for my life.

I thought about what I enjoy and feel passionate about.

…then it came to me. The one resolution to make this year, the one that makes the most sense. The one that I can get truly excited about is to commit to working on my fiction every single day.

So that’s the top resolution for me and one I think every aspiring romance novelist should consider. The formal resolution is to “write for 30 minutes every day.”

Here are seven more to consider:

1. I will submit my manuscript to agents and editors. (Consider quantifying this. For example, I will submit my manuscript to one agent/editor each month.)

2. I will research and keep a list of my top 10, 20, 30 agents and editors.

3. I will stay abreast of romance industry changes by:

  • Reading blogs
  • Joining romance writing associations/organization
  • Reading industry publications

4. I will read one romance book a month & one non-fiction writing how to book each quarter.

5. I will attend one romance event this year. A convention, workshop, or seminar.

6. I will write down story ideas as they come to me. And create a system so I don’t lose these inspirations.

7. I will embrace my passion for romance writing with pride, enthusiasm, and joy. The world needs more great romance stories and I have the skills and stories to share! (okay this is more of an affirmation. Mindset is so important!)

So…what are your romance writing resolutions for 2011? What challenges do you need to overcome to reach your writing goals?