screenwriter kathy patterson wishes everyone a happy new year 2024

Happy New Year 2024

Another year has dawned. New resolutions are contemplated and embraced.

For us writers, a new year brings new goals to produce more contest. To polish we’ve completed. To test completed stories through coverage and contests. More juggling of schedules to gain more quality writing time. Sign up for a few webinars.

For me, the New Year offers a fresh perspective on what I did right and what I did wrong the previous year. An optimistic perspective on what could be accomplished during the new year.

Promises made to tackle and complete goals should be made in terms of a short-term commitment. Not overly broad, unattainable commitments that will overwhelm you.

So, making new resolutions should be contemplated and embraced with care.

One reason New Year’s resolutions fail to be achieved is because they were too broad. I will lose weight this year. I’ll get an agent this year.
I’ll sell a screenplay this year.

Better, more attainable resolutions would be: I’ll try and lose 20lbs this year; I’ll query 5-8 agents this year; I’ll work to make the finalist round in 3 contests this year and if I don’t, I’ll pay for coverage on that script.

More attainable resolutions don’t mean easy resolutions. They mean potentially doable. Better to make some progress than none at all.

Here are some of my resolutions for 2024:

  1. Complete my latest TV Pilot – I have 10 pages to go until Fade Out, but the draft will need another read through.
  2. Loss 10lbs within 3 months
  3. Add a yoga regime to my weekly routine – striving for 2 15 min routines a week.
  4. Brainstorm and write Acts 1 & 2 of next TV pilot by June 30th.
  5. Complete 2-3 new short scripts & vet them in contests

That’s it. My list of Main To-Dos for 2024.

Main obstacle for me achieving these goals is me.

Will I succeed in achieving these goals?  I hope so.

How about you? Did you set self-defeating New Year goals or did you commit to goals that, with some elbow-grease persistence, you may just achieve?

I guess time will tell as 2024 moves along.

In the meantime, Happy New Year!