The new year is upon us. For many the start of January manifesting resolutions aimed at improving physical and/or mental wellbeing.
People’s declarations of existential advancement coming in various ways. For instance, gym memberships increase, sales of workout gear surge skywards like new years fireworks, and I purge all thoughts of taking up lion taming. The latter an absurd idea manifesting earlier in the week when my mind was addled during COVID’s zenith.
A notion which was shortly followed by another hare-brained idea; this time to improve cricket by introducing a format of the game called ‘T20 on the M20’. Live twenty over slog-fests undertaken on the hard should of Kent’s M20 motorway. An idea which, as the remnants of the virus began to shake, I have similarly abandoned as ludicrous.
Seriously, though, my dreams and aspirations for the new year are the same as last year, and the year before. That of putting my creative output by word and drawing to more meaningful use. By that I mean expanding my audience and perhaps monetise my better pieces… If not, I might have to take up that bloody lion tamer role to pay the bills!
Personally, I have chosen not to make any resolutions for 2024. Incidentally, when I write 2024, I am referring to the year; not that I haven’t resolved to stop smoking for a minute at 20.24 (8.24pm) this evening… As I don’t smoke, why would I?… As I struggle to keep most previous new year’s resolutions for a minute, it’s probably for the best.
I reckon the only sure-fire way of me keeping a resolution for a whole year is to hold a “I resolve not to keep any resolutions in 2024.” … Which is easily achievable; and what yours truly kinda does anyway.
Perhaps ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ and not setting myself specific goals to achieve throughout the year holds back reaching my dreams. Maybe setting GJ Strachan challenging (but achievable) objectives would focus my mind; consequently, giving greater direction towards my goal of becoming as famous as Basil Brush’s minder Eric Troth.
Micromanaging a more focussed approach to writing projects and improved Etsy shop marketing might be the making of me. Who knows, with a more structured vision, at the dusk of this year I too maybe as recognisable as Mr Troth. Allowing me to strut around the place with the same contentment of a man lauded for his work looking after the UK’s most lovable glove puppet.
One of my big issues writing wise is not focussing on one project. Among my many literary. vehicles is frequent blog penning, ongoing work making a book I wrote a while back fit for purpose, not to mention a strong desire to pen a children’s book.
The latter has a working title of ‘Woof Woof & Grrrr’. An everyday tale of two dogs intent on saving the world from a variety of supervillains. Hare-brained adventures affording me carte blanche to stretch artistic licence to it’s silliest juncture; producing yarns about streetwise canines confronting a cabal of evil nemesis, assisted by ‘H’ from the band Steps… In the book blurb I advertise is as ‘ The dynamic duo meets James Bond…. Erm, and Steps’.
With my target audience being kids, though, I might have to update my popstar sidekick references. After all, todays nippers may not have a clue who ‘H’ or Steps is. He maybe pop’s most famous consonant to anyone over 30 but, to be down with the kids, I think it’d be safer to include someone from the Hit Parade zeitgeist… Alvin or one of his chipmunk buddies perhaps?
Perhaps, to add a further challenge, I could draw the characters for my aspirational kids book. How hard can it be to draw two cartoon mutts and ‘H’ from Steps… Errrrr, I mean Alvin and The Chipmunks… For copyright reasons, I might have to stick with ‘H’… Or, perhaps make up a new fictional character to assist Woof Woof and Grrr in their fight against evil. Time will tell.
Anyhow, I’m off to draft a sketch of Woof Woof and Grrr… Have a wonderful 2024!
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