Get Off Your Ass and Do Something

Are you a writer? Here are your goals for the day:

1. Write. One thousand words is good. Two thousand is better.
2. Update your blog and website. Appearances, new info, contests, games, stories, articles, pictures, etc.
3. Edit something. Your stuff, or a friend's stuff--either will help you improve as a writer.
4. Send out a query letter to sell a story or article. Getting published is your best form of advertising.
5. Expand your Internet presence. Leave messages and comments on listserves, blogs, boards, newsgroups, chatrooms. Trade links. Submit work to writing websites.
6. Set up an event. Sign up for a conference, contact a library, schedule a booksigning, speak at your local Rotary club, teach a class---get out there and meet some people.

Try to do as much of the above as you can, every single day. At the very least, you should be doing one or two of them. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

This is your year, remember? You aren't going to become a household name nursing your hangover, watching cable.

You're a writer, dammit. Act like one.