11 Inspiring Middle Grade Authors Chime in with Their New Year’s Resolutions

“I’d like to read more in the formats and genres I don’t write in, like poetry, graphic novels, non-fiction, mysteries. It’s hard because I always have teetering piles of middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction that I’m dying to read, but I believe the more we’re exposed to different forms the more we can push our own writing. I would also like to get my hands on a time turner, which seems the easiest way to get more reading time in.”
—Anne Ursu, author of the National Book Award nominee The Real Boy and the forthcoming The Lost Girl

“I travel a lot, but I’m TERRIBLE at actually writing on the road. I love to watch movies on planes, and crash in my hotel room after a busy day of talks or conferences. But with a travel schedule like mine, if I’m not working on the road, that means there are tons of days I’m just not working. So, this year, my writing resolution is to write no less than two pages a day every day I’m travelling. I know, I know…two pages isn’t a lot, but it’s more than zero—plus, that’ll mean I only have time for the really good plane movies.”
—Lamar Giles, author of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer

“My New Year’s resolution for 2019 is to cultivate a brand new skill. I’m particularly interested in learning to produce podcasts, a form of storytelling I love deeply but with which I have no experience. Keep your ears open for some non-writing-related ventures from me.”
—Alison Cherry, author of eight middle grade and young adult novels, most recently Ella Unleashed

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sat down and made a list of New Year’s resolutions before. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever made official resolutions in any form or fashion. But there are definitely some things I want to do and others I’ve been putting off:

“As far as writing resolutions go, I split those into “goals” and “hopes.” One I have control over, and one I don’t. It is important to make that distinction and not make goals about things I can’t control. My goal for 2019 is to finish drafting the two manuscripts I started this year. That’s it. I want to finish drafting them and send to my agent. My hope for the year is to sell two more books. I guess we’ll just see…With a baby due in March, I’m trying to take it easy with the pressure I put on myself this year. My phrase for the year is PUBLISH PEACE. I want to be a vehicle for peace through my words, actions, writing, advocacy, motherhood. That encompasses a lot of big ideas, but it also includes curling up with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa, snuggling a sweet baby face, taking a quiet walk.”
—Amanda Rawson Hill, author of The Three Rules of Everyday Magic

“I actually keep a running tally of around 100 resolutions I make at the start of the year, and I deliberately don’t include any goals that are outside my control, like “sell a book.” I don’t wind up completing most of them; the list is designed to keep me focused and help me prioritize. Past resolutions include “vote in a local election,” “watch a TV show from beginning to end,” and “cook a dinner more complicated than pasta.” They’re split into loose categories. When I reach the end of the year, I remove the ones I’ve already done or the ones I no longer care about, and I add more. I’ve been inspired by the 101 in 1001 project, though I modified the rules slightly for mine.”
—Eric Bell, author of Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance and Alan Cole is Not a Coward

“I want to restore the sense of play in my work, to work on creating for other media (web series, snapchat, animated stories, etc.), to experiment with forms that I’ve chickened out on—like verse, graphic novels, or speculative fiction, and to read for pleasure without guilt.”
—Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Naomis Too and Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow 

“My main writerly resolution is to work with love, for what I’m writing, my audience, and myself.”
—Karuna Riazi, author of The Gauntlet and The Battle 

I want to finish revising my current work-in-progress and turn it in to my agent. I also want to enjoy nature more.
—Ellie Terry, author of Forget Me Not

My word for 2019 is RISE. I plan to rise and finish three books. RISE more often from worry. RISE and enjoy this life. RISE from 2018 like a red-winged phoenix and make some big dreams come true.
—K.A. Reynolds, author of The Land of Yesterday and the forthcoming The Spinner of Dreams

As a children’s author, I want to inspire, enlighten and uplift my readers. This past year, the world has experienced lots of ups and downs that have been really hard for kids to avoid hearing about — and worrying about. So, I’m forging ahead into 2019 with a strong new agenda: to bring comfort and joy into classrooms, with the help of the #KidsNeedMentors program [https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=kids-need-mentors-pairs-authors-educators]. Founded by authors Ann Braden and Jarrett Lerner, and teachers Kristen Picone and Kristin Crouch, #KidsNeedMentors creates free, year-long partnerships between authors and classrooms. We’ll be sharing books, Skypes, visits and a whole lot of love for books, reading and writing, throughout the school year. What a comfort! What a joy!
—Bridget Hodder, author of The Rat Prince