Madeleine’s 2016 New Years Resolutions

2016 RESOLUTIONS

Hello lovely followers of Melanie. I’m Madeleine D’Este, a speculative fiction writer, and today I’ve taken over the controls to tell you about my 2016 New Year’s Resolutions.

2015 was fruitful. I finished a manuscript, drafted over 110,000 words and edited another 100,000. My confidence grew and I reckon my writing is getting better every day. Bring on 2016.

In 2016, I’m going to…

1. Publish Something

Whether securing a publishing deal or self-publishing, 2016 is going to be the year for publishing something. Writing takes a long time but I feel I’m ready to ‘ship some product’. And I can’t wait to share my work with the world. I’ve gotta put my arse on the line at some point.This’ll mean learning more about publishing malarky, from cover art to marketing plans to pricing models. But I’m a nerd, this sounds fun.

2. Write or Edit Daily

Thanks to the Monthly Writing Challenge, my daily writing or editing habit is firmly entrenched. I’m getting my 10,000 hours of practice and I can see how I’ve improved as a writer over the past year. In 2016, I’m going to keep writing and/or editing daily.

3. Learn from the Experts

In 2016, I’ll continue to learn my craft. I’ll seek tips and advice from books, online and courses. I’d love to attend Robert McKee’s Story conference in 2016 (Robert, if you’re reading this, please come to Australia). Every tip is golden. Just today I heard a tip from Amy Stewart, non-fiction plant writer turned novelist. Her tip is about adding the final “bling.” She goes back through her manuscript to add a final bit of “bling” on each page. Another useful tip to add to the arsenal.

I’m excited about 2016, I hope you are too.

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Madeleine D’Este is a speculative fiction writer based in Melbourne Australia. She is currently querying agents with her all female sci-fi manuscript, Return to the Monolith and is writing a series of steampunk novellas set in 1880s Melbourne. Connect with Madeleine on Twitter or learn more about her writing at www.madeleinedeste.wordpress.com

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