Reading Time: 3 minutes

Early in my writing career, I kept daily journals of my personal and professional activities. Sometimes these were separate — a personal diary and a professional calendar. Usually, though, the two were co-mingled.

At the end of each year, I’d record a year in review (see yesterday’s post). Then I’d look ahead to the coming year, usually with optimism. I called those “perspectives,” although I know now they would more properly be “prospectives.” Here, then are some excerpts from January, 1979:

1979 PERSPECTIVE

I am not a prophet, although I do believe such people exist. I am also not a psychic, a species in which I have even less belief. I don’t believe I have ever met either type.

Why, then, do I intend to commit my views of the coming year to paper? Mostly so I can come back a year or more from now to see how I behaved myself.

This year I shall write a number of humor articles, various reports and letters, a few opinion pieces, some short stories, and pieces of major works such as a novel or casebook series. I hope to sell at least some of the stories and articles and to publish the reports and letters in other ways. I do not expect to profit from my writing, but I do expect that by the end of the year I will have made some money on it.

Howard W. Fielding, Journal, 1979 Perspective

Another practice I maintained both in my journals and later in my columns was to list some resolutions for the coming year. Often I’d make something I knew I could depend on, like “quit smoking.” Of course, it’s easy to quit something when you’re already not doing it.

Here, then, is what I resolved at the beginning of 1979:

1979 Resolutions

1. I will discipline myself to write something every day, and to study my craft by reading broadly and carefully.
2. When writing, I will not allow my editorial character to kill an idea before it plays itself out.
3. Nor will I kill an idea before trying it out elsewhere, i.e. at market.
4. I will attempt to extend my circle of friends and to deepen my personal relationships.
5. I will attempt to strengthen my family ties by regular writing, visits, and calls.
6. I will spend my time in serious pursuit of my chosen craft in order that I may determine this year whether I wish to continue it.
7. This year I will figure myself out enough that I may relieve my fears and indecision, but will leave enough mystery and wonder that life will not become dull.
8. I will not squander time, talent, money, or resources, but will instead endeavor to make prudent use thereof.
9. I will exercise both my body and my mind regularly, and not avoid good healthy fun of either kind when it is available.
10. [Last, but not least …] I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul, and will love my neighbor as myself.

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As resolutions go, not a bad list — although, really, how many of us can honestly say at the end of the year that they kept their promises?

Except maybe the one about not smoking.

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It is, of course, one thing to write these things now, comfortably seated alone in my room … and quite another thing to follow through when being tempted by the distractions of the daily grind. …

For some reason, I feel I have been called to try writing, to make productive use of my time, and follow my responsibilities as a human being. I have been lax at these in the past. I will not allow slackness in the future. — HF 1/16/79

ibid.