I recently came to the embarrassing realization that I’ve achieved none of my resolutions this year. My failure mostly stemmed from the fact that my interests and goals changed over the course of twelve months. That said, I accomplished a lot, learned so much, and evolved as a writer.
I found a new home in science fiction, gave my first pitch to a publisher, and wrote some stories that I’m passionate about. I feel 2025 has potential. Everything is lining up; I just need the perseverance to see it through.
Resolutions
This year, I limited my resolutions to three and kept them vague. As I said above, I change over the course of a year and what seems reasonable in January may make no sense in December. Here’s what I hope to accomplish:
1. Submit More. This was the first year in half a decade where I didn’t submit a short story. The reasons are myriad, and I won’t get into them here. I hope to make that up in 2025 and in the process fatten my bibliography.
2. Challenge Myself. I want to read more challenging books, take on more ambitious projects, experiment with my writing, and get every neuron firing. I think the payoff will be worth it.
3. Improve My Work Ethic. I’ve gotten lazy these last several months. I only have so much writing time each day and I end up wasting a lot of it. I’ve become a master procrastinator and that has to change if I want to achieve the resolutions above.
Top 10 Books of 2024
All the years that I’ve done this, the books have been predominantly horror and weird fiction. This year began my obsession with science fiction. But to my surprise, many of the books on this list turned out to be fantasy. Odd, considering I’m not usually a massive fan of the genre.
- Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
- Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey
- The Second Sons Trilogy by Jennifer Fallon
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Institute by Stephen King
- Angelmass by Timothy Zahn
- The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells by Ben Bova
- Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
- Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
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See you in the new year!
Tchau,
Zé
Zé Burns | Blog 
I have confidence you’ll do it !
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Resolutions are just a way to keep score in a game where you’re only competing with yourself. Just like any game, you “win” some and “lose” some. But if I’m the scorekeeper, I’ll always count learning and growing as a win. So it sounds like you’re right on track!
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