Confetti. Auld Langsyne. Party hats, noise makers and resolutions. That’s how a typical New Year’s celebration looks, right?

Maybe.

An ‘Un-Party’

I’d like to make a suggestion: instead of asking you what your writing goals are for the new year or taking bets on how long that January 1 “resolution” will last, how ’bout a New Year’s un-party instead?

How ’bout celebrating the New Year by cleaning up and un-cluttering junk from the last? Like uncluttering:

• Your desk. I did that yesterday. All those broken pencils and inkless pens? Gone! Illegible, archaic notes? History! Un-sticky sticky notes? Hello round file! (I did retain a few favorite crayons. You never know.)

• Your book bag. I found Jimmy Hoffa! He was hiding under the ton of useless, outdated junk I’ve been hauling around in my “book bag” for the past year. Not really. But I did get rid of library due date reminders dating back to the Ice Age. Ditto those plastic utensils for the 4th of July picnic. I even washed that bag. I’d forgotten its original color: red.

• Your brain. This will work differently for each individual. Try something that works for you. I grabbed a fresh ream of paper, a pen and just started writing. Jotted down several pages of notes, ideas, and dreams. Poured out several writing goals. Crystallized some publishing plans and potential submissions. Wrote out some writing frustrations and disappointments as well as some high points. Just writing it out and capturing ideas on paper helped whip some random thoughts into shape and de-clutter the ‘ole cerebral hard drive.

• Your hard drive. Speaking of which, when’s the last time you sorted through your In Box and got rid of dead wood, or backed up your hard drive? How ’bout an un-cluttering party for both?

public domain image.

There’s nothing like launching into a fresh New Year after cleaning up some of last year’s clutter.  I feel better already.

Now, where are those party hats?

Are you throwing a New Year’s ‘Un-Party’? How?

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Join us next time for an author interview with J.C. Edwards, author of Poems of Living, Loving and Lore.