Resolutions update:

[luckykaa]

1. Cut down on snacking after lunch.
Still not snacking. still hungry

2. Check other jobs in Brighton at least once a month. Accept interviews anywhere reachable.
Never did really manage this.  Doing a bit better now.  Have had a couple of interviews.  Think I probably shouldn't have turned down Creative Assembly. 

3. Visit at least one country I haven't experienced before, by the end of the year.
Went to Spain.  Was oodles of fun.  Will have to work out where to go next year. 

4. Potentially find another hobby.
Writing sounds like fun.  Don't seem to have an aptitude for it though.  I can put down words on paper and make sentences and paragraphs and things.  They're even quite good sentences and paragraphs.  It's coming up with a complete coherent plot that's hard.  Perhaps I shouldo NanoWriMo.  Or alternatively ignore it because it's too proscriptive, and just throw together a story of however many words in whatever time. 

5. Find more local friends.
Success!  Even play Warhammer RPG with them!

6. Stop being single
Sorta managed for a bit.  And I had a great time with wolfie_sara for those 3 months or so.  Now I'm single again I'll have to work out what to do.  OKCupid never really seems to have worked out for me though.  Find it very hard to work out something interesting to say.  when ?I do I rarely get a response. 

7. Read more; Read at least 2 books every month.
Managing this, but this is a lot harder than I expected.  I'm sure I sued to be able to manage this.  I mean it's only 3 pages a day or so typically.  That's not a lot.  Imposing a time limit rather ruins it.   Will have to readdress this one. 

So where does that leave me?  I can consider a few of these solved, and therefore replace them with others.  I'll change the rules for reading more.  I need to work on the writing thing.  Is "Become an internationally renowned author by the end of Deember"  too much of a stretch? 

Comments

[palfrey.livejournal.com]

Number 6 I find tends to come from number 5 - meeting new people and being randomly social ups your odds of not being single significantly. I've never got anything directly out of OKCupid (ok, some interesting contacts and one old friend reunited with, but no romantic stuff), and to be honest I'm of the current opinion that that sort of route is a poor substitute for more being social stuff.

One thing that's worked very well for me so far is Facebook - there's a group on there called 'Single in London' (possibly Brighton equivalents as well) via whom I've a) met many more people and b) met my now girlfriend. I wasn't going out of my way to meet new potential dates, but things worked out anyway mostly as a result of being repeatedly social and turning up to (plus in the end helping to organise) a fair few events.

[omylouse.livejournal.com]

I have the opposite problem with writing. I have a few good plots kicking around (one entirely based on a really cool dream i had!) but I seem crap at writing it well. Admittedly finding the time to try is also a major problem!

Agree with palfrey that 6 usually follows from 5. Also seems to work best when you stop striving for it. Being single does has its advantages too! I've enjoyed my times single, although I won't deny having someone does have certain advantages! ;)

I find 7 & 5 mutually exclusive (to a point). Perhaps change to "Read at least 1 book by a new author each year" or something?

[saffron1982.livejournal.com]

My fiance is trying to be an internationally renowned writer at a very precocious age. He just writes and writes!

[masterofapath.livejournal.com]

Umm.. what they said. Plus one more for you to consider, and I think this actually falls under the category of good advice.

Generally speaking if your aim is to "Become an internationally renowned author" (timescale irrelevant) you will fail, if your aim is "Write over 1000 words a week" (number may vary depending on ambition) you are more likely to succeed and so have a shot at the former.

The point is somewhere around "People who succeed as writers are people who want to write, not people who want to have written". Or something like that only written in a more clear and meaningful way.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

Yes. Targets have to be achievable. But:

1. Writing is rather good fun. Especially since I'm just Mary Suing it and taking out my frustrations on people who have annoyed me recently. It's not like I expect to get published. If I like it I will post it for feedback though.
2. It's something that I'm doing for my own amusement.
3. I need some sort of actual target otherwise I'll get distracted and change my mind far too much.

[masterofapath.livejournal.com]

I'm probably explaining it really badly, but it sounds like you're on the right track. It was more to do with wanting to write rather than wanting to be a published author...

I think it feels easier to explain with music.. Want to write music = good, want to be a rock star but not really that interested in music = bad.

Sounds like you want to write, are writing, and therefore should continue writing rather than reading this nonsense.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

No. You're explaining well enough. Just want to explain that I don't want to be one of the pretentious "I'm writing a novel" types who spends so long writing and getting it perfect that they never release. The NaNoWriMo philosophy is a nice idea to deal with this sort of attitude.

As for the music thing, I'd love to write music but being a rock star seems dull (late nights and partying all the time really does not suit an introvert and early riser)! Unfortunately that requires learning an instrument and that requires practice and that's something I really can't be bothered with.

[blue-sun-scribe.livejournal.com]

On the subject of 7. I find certain books easier to get through than others. Perhaps you just need to try a different author and/or genre?