Jared from Homeroom, and Other Resolutions

On New Year's Eve, people make resolutions about things they want to change or accomplish in the coming year. Ya know, things we think we'll never actually do, like finish writing the Great American Novelization of My Life—Part 3, ask out Jared from homeroom, be nicer to my frenemy Allie (even though she’s always hanging out with the losers from audio/visual), be nicer to the losers from audio/visual…You get the idea. All these aspirations are very healthy and important.

But I have a more fun suggestion: Make some resolutions to accomplish before New Year's Eve. And make one of them about your writing. After all, there’s no time like the present! Oops, did I just say present? Anyway, amidst all your holiday-present shopping, present unwrapping, present exchanging for better presents, present revelry, present comparing, present overloading…you will probably have some time on your hands. I mean you don't have homework over BREAK, do you? Oh, you do? Well anyway…make some plans! For example:

BY NEW YEAR'S EVE I WILL:
1) Complete first draft of my current project, entitled __________, and post on the Forums here for feedback.

2) Discover a teen book I don't know anything about and read the whole thing from cover to cover, then log onto the Forums here and tell the rest of us about it!

3) Find someone to kiss at midnight—preferably someone who understands my passion for writing and reading. And who is not related to me, which rules out Mom. Oh, yeah, then log onto the Forums here and describe in vivid detail. :)

Happy writing, happy reading, happy holidays everyone!

What are some of your resolutions?

Lexa Hillyer
Associate Editor, Harper Teen