🎉you're invited!🎉 two zoom parties to kick start your writing life in 2024

crafting a vision & making a plan

Let’s make this a quick one: I’m writing to invite you to not one but TWO!! parties to get your writing life off to a great start in 2024. My inbox is flooded with round-ups and reflections and best ofs—but I’m ready to jump into a new year.

🥳️ two (2!!) parties in the new year! 🥳️

✨ the second annual Write More vision board party, on Sunday, January 7th at 4pm eastern via zoom✨

As I wrote last year, I don’t make resolutions, and I’m not hoping to become a new and improved version of myself this year. But I do believe in harnessing the energy of a fresh start. I believe in naming your ambition. And in the last couple years, making a vision board has been part of how I do that. I believe there’s power in naming what you’re working toward, as well as being intentional about what you’re leaving to the side. Worst case scenario, you have a fun craft project and something pretty to hang above your desk. I am very jinxy about sharing my vision boards, but I will share some snippets of recent years at our party next weekend, and I’ll talk about how making a vision board has mattered for my writing life. I wrote about vision boards last year here and here, if you need a little nudge.

a little corner of last year’s vision board

A bunch of folks are already registered, and I’d love for you to join us, if you haven’t yet signed up. You’re welcome to bring a friend (virtually or in your actual home) and to share this invitation with anyone else you think would like a little vision at the beginning of the year. You'll want to have a big piece of paper or poster board, some magazines you can cut up, and a glue stick.

To join us, register at this link. (And if you can’t make that time, I’ll share a recording a few days after the party.)

🗒 January Goal Setting Meeting on Tuesday January 9th at 7.30pm eastern via zoom 🗒

This is really special: I’m pairing up with planner extraordinaire and Friend of the Newsletter Erin Flanagan for a January Goal Setting Meeting, hosted by the Midwest Mystery Writers Association. It’s in the spirit of our fall planning party, but with some extra 🌟new year flair🌟. You’ll want to bring all your good ideas and big dreams, as well as a calendar, and/or whatever kind of planner you use, plus some snazzy pens, cute highlighters or little stickers, if you like.

You can register for the January Goal Setting Meeting here.

I’m thinking of these parties as a sequence—vision first, then plans—so you’re welcome to attend both, or just one, whatever works for you. I really believe there’s power (dare I say ✨magic✨?) in coming together to share our hopes and goals and dreams.

one more fun thing

Now that The Good Mother Myth is (basically) out of my hands, I’m getting excited about the New Things I’m going to start in 2024. I’ve long been an admirer of

Wendy MacNaughton

’s joyful spirit (we did her blind contour portraits in my first-year seminar this fall, and it was an unexpected hit, with a tough group), and I’ve decided to start the new year with her 30-Day Drawing Habit. I love the way she talks about creative practice:

Everything you need is already inside you. You are already a creative person. Whether you feel like you are one right now or not, you are. I promise you. What’s more, you already know how to do everything I will offer you. I’m simply offering you the container, the space, and the structure to PRACTICE who you already are and what you intrinsically already know. Sure, I’ll give you some new facts and approaches. But the essence of what we’re doing here YOU ALREADY HAVE INSIDE YOU. You just need the opportunity to practice! We develop our muscles and build a habit only through DOING something. That’s practice. The more we practice, the more confident we become. Not only do we grow confidence in our art-making, but we also become more confident in WHO WE ARE. All we have to do is practice.

Anyone else joining the 30-Day Drawing Habit? Or do you have other creative ventures you’re hoping to pick up in the new year?

This community has been such a lovely part of 2023. I’m so glad you’re all here, and I’m excited to ring in a new year of writing and reading and creative practice with you next weekend! 🥳️

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Write More, Be Less Careful is a newsletter about why writing is hard & how to do it anyway. What are you hoping for in the new year? I’d love to hear about it. Reply to this email, comment below, or find me on instagram (@nancy.o.reddy). 

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