New Year's Resolutions-A Writer's List

It's a new year and time to look back and look forward.
Always wanting to improve and grow, I'm making a list of resolutions. Not the usual list of promises to myself to lose weight, and join the local gym. No. The list I'm making this year is specific to writing. I want goals that will challenge me, but that I can also achieve without making myself crazy. Here is the short list, although if the coming year is anything like the last year, I'm sure the list itself will grow as I do.

1. Schedule Writing Time-This one seems easy, but when left without a schedule I end up writing when I should be spending time with my family and watching Netflix when I should be writing.

2. Publish Two Works of Fiction-I'm leaving this at two although I would love to make it three. You never know, could be four. 

3. Develop New Romance Series-I have a new series in mind that could mean a few books down the road. I want to outline the first two books in the series and put them on the calendar.

4. Use a Manual Agenda for Scheduling Writing Assignments-This year, I found my phone calendar did not do it for me. I'm going back to the old fashioned hand written agenda, so I always know what assignments are due before the day they are due.

5. Develop a Newsletter-This is a big one and something I've been meaning to add to my author platform.

So many other things are going through my mind, but I like knowing my goals are attainable. It keeps me focused and positive. I want to set myself up to succeed, not to fail.

What are your resolutions this year?

Happy New Year.

Find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This time of year always seems to creep up on me. I'm one of those people who starts shopping the weekend before Christmas, not because I planned it that way, but because I just seem to run out of time.

If I had it my way, I would spend the twelve days before Christmas differently. I would go ice skating, go downtown just to admire the decorations, and bake cookies. Then I would go to see the Nutcracker, volunteer my time for a great charity, and host a holiday cocktail party. Next I would take my kids to Lake Tahoe to build snowmen and make snow angels, and send out holiday cards. I would also take a family portrait, have all my gifts done, wrapped and under the tree.

And actually relax and enjoy the holidays. Maybe someday.

Everyone knows the Twelve Days of Christmas song (if not, see lyrics below), and one year when dining at my cousin's house on Christmas Eve, we sang it. It was laugh out loud funny. Here's the thing, my cousin left a note card at each person's place setting with the verse they were in charge of. There were one-two people assigned to each verse and then she left the fifth verse (five gold rings) for our family friend who has this big voice and was sure to ham it up. Each person was to stand and sing out their verse and then sit down. The result was so much fun. My mother in law was visiting from Morocco that year, and even though she didn't understand, she was laughing the whole time at watching us all stand up and sit for each of our verses all the way through the song. Even if you are not the type to sing Christmas carols, this was fun.

This year, as I was thinking about this post, I started listing things off in my head that I would want, as a writer, for my twelve Christmas gifts. So below are my revised lyrics, just for fun. I will skip the repeats to save time.

On the first day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Your best seller is under the tree, sign it for me?

On the second day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
You have fifty more five star reviews on Amazon.

On the third day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
I'll make dinner so you can write.

On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Would you like a massage?

On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
You have voicemails from all Big Five Publishers! They want the movie rights!

On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
I understand you need those pictures on Pinterest, it's research.

On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Can I get you a glass of wine?

On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Let me take the kids out, so you can have some peace and quiet.

On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
You don't spend too much time on social media.

On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Invite The Writing Wenches over for Christmas.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
I got you a credit card just for buying books with no limit. I'll pay the bill.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love said to me:
Write. It's who you are and what you do. I support you.
And...
I got you a credit card just for buying books with no limit. I'll pay the bill.
Invite The Writing Wenches over for Christmas.
You don't spend too much time on social media.
Let me take the kids out, so you can have some peace and quiet.
Can I get you a glass of wine?
I understand you need those pictures on Pinterest, it's research.
You have voicemails from all Big Five Publishers! They want the movie rights!
Would you like a massage?
I'll make dinner so you can write.
You have fifty more five star reviews on Amazon.
Your best seller is under the tree, sign it for me?

To give my husband a little credit, he actually does give me massages, makes me dinner and will give me some quiet time to write.

And here is the original version for you to enjoy!

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

There you have it. Happy Holidays.

You can find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Coloring Your Holidays

We all admire beautifully decorated trees. You know the ones. The perfect amount of lights, ornaments of different sizes and shapes, flawlessly balanced around the tree, with color combinations that match the gifts under the tree.

You admire them, but trimming your own tree to try and duplicate the effect at $5-$15 on average per ornament can exhaust anyone's holiday budget.

It doesn't have to. You do not have to buy a whole tree full of new ornaments to achieve this effect.

I inherited most of my ornaments from my mother. I remember the toy soldiers and reindeer hanging from trees full of multicolored lights. I loved them, but I had always admired the way my cousin trimmed her tree, perfectly coordinated with the presents gathered around the base.

One year, after the holidays had passed, I was putting away the ornaments, and I decided to divide up my ornaments according to color. I boxed up my silver ornaments separately. I placed all of my gold ornaments in another box. Separated out the red ornaments, and filled up a huge box full of blue ornaments. The following year, I decided to decorate with a blue and silver theme, blue being my favorite color. It was easy. After stringing up the white lights on the tree, I pulled out the box labeled blue and the box labeled silver and went to town. That year I purchased silver wrapping paper and blue ribbon, and I had my first coordinated Christmas.

I usually buy one new ornament each year, but otherwise I use what I have to create a beautiful and elegant tree. For the gifts, I choose a paper that is one solid color and matches my theme, using big bows formed out of wire ribbon to decorate the packages.

You probably already have your tree up and done, but if you would like to coordinate with a color scheme next year, save a few gift boxes and use them to separate out your ornaments.

Here is the new ornament I bought this year which is very fitting since this is my first Christmas as a published author.

My color scheme this year is red and silver. I have silver paper and red ribbon, now I just need the presents. Happy Holidays.

Jennifer Senhaji
Your Sweet & Spicy Romance Author

Find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com