New Year's Resolutions for Writers

Ah, the end of the year. A time for reflection, rejuvenation, and generally revelry. Of course, if you’re one of those go-getter types, you might even go so far as to commit to New Year’s resolutions.

Nearly every study shows habits take time and consistency to form. They also show us that resolutions often don’t work because they aren’t practical or realistic, or the person making the resolution isn’t ready to commit to doing the work to make it happen.

Okay, maybe that one is anecdotal, but the point remains: a resolution is no good unless you’re willing to try.

So, forget those typical resolutions like reading more classic literature or losing weight this year. You’re a screenwriter. Your job is Sitting, Typing, and Looking at the Screen. (We kid, we kid!)

What are some resolutions you can try out for 2025? Glad you asked!

What To Do as a Writer

• Work on something personal. Trends come and go, but writing from the heart about humans never goes out of style. As difficult as it may be, it’s worth the effort to find a moment, theme, or lesson learned from your life that you can apply to your fictional world. If you’re not ready to talk about something painful, don’t push yourself until you are! But if you have great memories of playing high school basketball, why not take those feelings, emotions, and experiences and put them into your script? You’d be surprised at how well your utter bewilderment, thinking about your first crush, also works for a rom-com heroine falling out of love.
  
• Try something new that’s writing related. Have you ever directed a short film? Taken an improv class? Edited a reel? Acted in a play? What about writing sketch comedy, crafting sad love songs, storyboarding a movie idea, or performing as a voice actor? Even if writing is your one true love, it never hurts to explore the other facets that help make you a better writer. Anything to do with performance, directing, animation, or production are probably good—and fun!—places to start.
  
• Rewrite something that still speaks to you. Sometimes we end up tossing scripts that don’t work for us anymore, but sometimes we get notes back and know that there’s something there. Rather than start from scratch, consider taking an old idea of yours, or something you got notes on, and applying whatever you’ve learned now to a new version. It took Jordan Peele around 20 revisions to perfect Get Out—you may need to take another break from it, but chances are that you’ll be able to make it better each time you give it a pass.
  
• Give yourself a challenge. If you’ve mostly written hour-long procedurals, why not try your hand at a sci-fi drama? Likewise, if you’re a horror fiend, who’s to say you can’t write a comedy? (Both are about subverting expectations and surprising audiences!) We like what we like, but we can also surprise ourselves by writing outside of our typical genres. Find an old play to adapt for the modern era, an idea that works better as TV than a film, or use a funny story from your family’s history and turn it into an indie affair. Allow yourself the freedom to try it for fun!
  
• Enjoy the process. Writing? Why, that’s a fool’s errand, a joke, an awful waste of our time. But having written? Why, that’s marvelous, a delight, a beautiful testament to our creative prowess! Yes, “enjoy the process” is easier said than done. Yet, it’s the most rewarding way forward in any creative endeavor. Don’t get wrapped up in whether or not this script will win accolades or what the mandate of “global action adventure” is supposed to actually mean. Instead, get lost in the scene and what those characters sound like when they talk to each other. That’s what it’s about—the joy and pleasure of practicing the art form.

What NOT To Do as a Writer

• Get so hungover you can’t write because you are not Hemingway and that was not a cute look for him ... or anyone! Look. We’ve all been there. Okay, maybe not all, but many can relate to taking the term “party animal” to a new level. Perhaps for you, it’s smoking, binge-watching, doom-scrolling, never leaving the couch, staying up until 3 a.m., playing video games, being codependent, et cetera. Whatever your vice(s), consider how it might be affecting your ability to get your work done and move your dreams ahead. If you need help, seek it out. If you’re just a run-of-the-mill “on my phone too much” type, cut down on the screen time. Take a look at your life’s habits, and see what’s ready for a 2025 reckoning.
  
• Turn down jobs because you’re a snob. Folks, it is not a great market right now. The post-strike, post-COVID entertainment industry isn’t coming through with gigs. This may mean that in order to keep yourself going, you have to take on a writing job that’s perhaps, shall we say, “below your pedigree.” For example, maybe you worked on an Emmy-nominated animated show—but now can only get an offer for pre-K episodes on YouTube. Honestly? Wipe that smugness off your face and take the job. Not only will you make new connections and get paid to write, you will also put food on the table. Hey, writing is not always glamorous.
  
• Totally freak out about A.I. First off, the most recent WGA strike includes protections against using A.I. in WGA projects. Secondly, A.I. tech for the foreseeable future is just generating text based on algorithms and patterns. It completely lacks creativity, perspective, empathy—like, have you read an A.I.-generated script? It stinks! And while this writer doesn’t personally use A.I. (it’s honestly faster to type it myself!), this writer also knows there’s no way a robot can truly replicate their unique POV or sense of humor in their scripts. Keep abreast of new tech, but don’t lose your head over it.
  
• Compare and despair. It’s easy to see friends and colleagues rise in the ranks while you languish, your talents going unnoticed. Log off of Instagram and, as the kids say, “go touch grass.” Comparing your progress to other people’s is a surefire recipe for poor self-esteem and getting nothing done. Rather than focus on other’s accomplishments, focus on yourself. What could you be writing right now that you’ve put off? Does journaling in the morning help you get the creative juices flowing? Are you behind on giving notes to scripts of friends? Be actively involved in yourself and your own career instead of looking longingly at someone else’s.
  
• Give up on being creative. As mentioned earlier, right now is not a great time for the entertainment industry. Plenty of talented, hard working people have packed it in—for good. Now, if you’re ready to leave it all behind, we won’t stop you. Sometimes you have to forge new paths to make the life you want. That might mean moving out of a huge city, taking on a new day job, having a child, and so on. But that’s not the same as giving up. If you committed yourself to being a writer, it’s unlikely you’ll ever truly stop. So, don’t stop. Even if you go live on the other side of the world or pursue a graduate degree, writing can still happen. Just because you may not be actively pursuing writing as a professional career does not mean you aren’t able to write.

What will your writer’s resolutions for 2025 be? And why are mine all “find a way to be involved in writing Wicked 3”?*

*Note: there is no such thing as Wicked 3 … YET.

*Feature image by nuvolanevicata