New Year resolutions are easy. Just get out last year’s, add 1 to the year, and hey presto, it’s done – get fit, exercise more, lose weight, stop smoking, etc.
I’ve only ever succeeded in keeping one difficult NYR. About 15 years ago, I resolved to stop adding sugar to my thrice daily cups of tea. And I succeeded! I calculated I reduced my intake of the sickly sweetener by 115kg, or 1.5 times my body weight! Not bad eh.
I haven’t been so successful with my twice daily coffee hits. I no longer add it to caps or lattes when out, but instant and plunger brews at home still get the white death, though in smaller quantities.
So what does 2015 offer? In 2014 I resolved to finish writing the book, though that was going to happen, NYR or not! With the magnus opus now done, I’ll have some spare time next year, so intend to take on a few new challenges. Being a shy chap, I can’t write about the personal ones; here’s some suitable for family viewing.
The book.
Find a publisher. If that fails, then self-publish/print-on-demand, and market like mad. I will also develop a website pictorial to complement the narrative.
Writing
With a climate sceptic for prime minister, and anti-environment state governments across the country, there’s plenty of scope for writing pithy opinion pieces or more genteel feature articles.
Nostalgia
I’m also planning to re-read the 3 books that greatly influenced me when I was a teenager, and led me down my career path. What are they? You’ll have to wait :-).
Homage
I’d also like to pay homage to my two favourite travel writers who ‘travelled’ with me during my own long trip, kept me focussed, and helped me answer that difficult travel writer’s question: ‘What am I doing here?’.
Travel, of course
I had to keep the travel bug under control in 2014 or I would not have finished the book. However, this year, like Alexander Beetle, the travel bug will regain its freedom to ‘follow the sun’ though maybe in a different way. Stay tuned!
So that’s 5 biggies. I’ll stop there because I need time to fix the garden, repair the house, learn French and German, exercise more, get fit, etc!
How are your resolutions going?
Happy travelling.