What Julia's Writing: A Novel, A Proposal, and a List

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Happy New Year, everyone! (We can still say that for at least the first week, right?) I'm starting out 2026 with a bang - hopefully a bang like fireworks reaching high into the sky, and not a bang you hear while driving your car and suddenly the steering wheel starts to wobble.

Usually, my contribution to What We're Writing Week is 1) I'm not, really or 2) another in an endless series of excerpts because I'm still working on the same manuscript since last year. Not this time, however! Right now I have three balls in the air, two professional and one personal.

 

One: I'm picking my non-mystery novel back up after mumbledy-mumble months weeks. I was sidelined for mostly happy reasons: my daughter's wedding and the birth of my grandson, the release and tour of AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, and, of course, the holidays. As much fun as the hustle and bustle and guests and celebrations were, it feels delicious to be back at my laptop, getting words on the page.

 

Two:  I'm working on the proposal for Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne #11.  I'm at the earliest stage, where I'm noodling ideas, moving characters around, and trying to come up with something cohesive. While on tour, one of my Albany-area readers suggested the Lake George New Year's Day Polar Plunge as a setting. I responded, "Oh, yeah, imagine you're standing in the nearly-freezing water and you feel something like a fish... but it turns out to be an arm."

That image has stuck with me ever since, which means there's Something There. Of course, I need to make it work with who can investigate what, and I want to bring some new characters from the most recent book back, and I want to set up a possible story line for the 12th book if my publisher wants two... there's a lot of staring into space and scribbling into my composition notebook during this process.

 

Three: It's the new year, and I want to be even more organized and productive than I was in 2025! (Those of you who know me an stop snorting with laughter now.) So I've got out my calendars and my planning notebook and I'm making lists of EVERYTHING and THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS and WHAT I GOT RIGHT IN 2025 and WHAT I WANT TO IMPROVE. That last one tends to be a long list...

 

How about you, dear readers? Are you working on an unfinished project? Thinking of a new one? And are you debating your word of the year and your intentions? 

Intentions, Aspirations, Resolutions

LUCY BURDETTE: Are you superstitious about New Year’s Day? Did you have lucky black-eyed peas? Did you make sure you were doing the things that you wanted to keep doing over the year? (I completely believe that if you forgot to do any of this yesterday, you can do it today or another day this week and all will be well!) I’m pretty sure we’ve discussed this topic in the past: that you should spend part of the day/days in the new year doing things that you hope you’ll be doing a lot of all across the year.

I would consider this a kind of intention-setting with action. In sports, psychologists and trainers talk about spelling out your goals and then repeating them enough to develop a strong habit. To be specific, here’s what I did. I wrote, because I want to have a year full of writing, good writing, good stories! I also practiced my ukulele, because I’m determined to get good enough to be able to play with a group in public. And I practiced some French because that’s another goal for this year. Finally, I started out the day with a yoga class that I love on Zoom. If I can keep up with all of those aspirations, it will be a miracle!


How about you Reds? Are you superstitious? Did you set any intentions for the new year?


RHYS BOWEN: I do always start the new year with intentions. I have a pretty note book that was given me years ago and every New Year’s Day I read what I wrote for last year, my hopes, plans and see which came to fruition and which did not. Then I do the same for the upcoming year.

We go for a walk if the weather is fine–which we plan to do every day all year. And I may try to get a little writing in as deadline is looming.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Lucy, that is SO impressive! And Rhys, I love that notebook idea. Love to hear more! I completely believe in affirmations, and learned that from Sue Grafton, of all people, who I still think of all the time. Yes, I am affirming my intentions like mad. But only out loud to myself.. And I’ve never heard of “spending the day doing the thing” but I love that, and that’s certainly what I’m planning to do. (The line between “plenty of time” and “OH NO THE DEADLINE” has just passed.

Secretly, I have a great idea, and next year at this time, we shall see. (See? I almost changed that to “I think I have a great idea” then decided to stay confident.


HALLIE EPHRON: I am not superstitious about New Year’s day. Once upon a time I made resolutions but then I’d lose them. I so admire anyone who makes resolutions and hangs onto them. A new notebook! Ukulele and French!! Wow. Boy would I welcome a “great idea”...


Last year my goal was just to get through the year. Be there for my kids and grands and friends. Don’t need a “resolution” for that. And I’ve emerged in pretty fine fettle… whatever fettle is.

Next year I would like to get back to writing fiction. Walk longer and more regularly. And I’m looking forward to teaching. I’ve got several gigs lined up, including a week for the Guppies. My favorite.‘


LUCY: I don’t see how you could have had resolutions with the year you had Hallie! We are all grateful you’re feeling better. I like to think of mine as more like intentions than resolutions. Somehow that hairsplitting takes the pressure off:). I’m very suggestible!


JENN McKINLAY: I can never seem to get my act together by New Year’s day. I have taken to celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is on January 22, 2023 (year of the rabbit) for those of us who need the extra 22 days to get sorted. I do like having intentions and resolutions but next year I have decided to embrace the empty nest we’ve got going and make 2023 the year of me. It becomes a habit when you’re a wife and mom, I think, of putting your wants and needs after everyone else’s. I am determined that next year, I’m going to move myself up a little higher in the queue. I think it’s time. So, instead of putting off the things I want (new kitchen) because someone else needs a new car or whatever, I’m holding my ground and the kitchen comes first. At least, that’s the plan. We’ll see if I stick to it!


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’m like Jenn this year - I’m still catching up from the last minute rush of Christmas (and sitting Samantha’s cat and Youngest’s dog) that I haven’t taken the time to set my goals for the new year! I have a work book I’m making my way through titled YOUR BEST YEAR, and I hope to come out the other end with some clear goals and the strategies to put them in place.

Does that mean my intention is to eventually set intentions?

As for superstition, just one: the first visitor of the New Year must be a dark haired man, and I’m getting that this year, as Guest Son (you will remember him living with me during most of 2020) is staying over that evening, and he is, you guessed it, tall, dark and handsome. A perfect first-footer!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I like "intentions" better than "resolutions", too, Lucy, but I hadn't heard of "doing the thing," although I suppose starting as you mean to go on makes sense! I've given myself until today, though, as the 1st was for black-eyed pea soup and taking down the Christmas tree and decorations.

I don't have a special journal for yearly goals, but I do try to jot some things down in whatever journal I'm currently using. And one of my intentions for 2023 is to do those regular affirmations. I believe in the power of affirmations, but they are a habit that is easy to let slip.

Julia is going to have to give us all tips!

How about you Reds? Intentions? Aspirations? Resolutions?

RESOLUTIONS

 RHYS BOWEN: Tis the time for new beginnings, New Year resolutions. Who actually makes them?  I'll join a gym. Lose weight. Read a book a week. Do good deeds. Save the planet...

I have a little notebook in which I write my intention for the year. Recently it's been things like "Learn to slow down. Not get so stressed. Enjoy the success I have. Appreciate friends and family."  One intention I have had in the past is to keep a journal. I've tried this on many occasions. It starts well enough:

"New Year's Day. Chance of rain. Dreary. Don't think we'll walk today. I should purge my clothes closet."

January 2:

January 3: I forgot to write this yesterday. It's raining. Can't go out. Wish we could go back to Arizona sunshine.

January 29: Not much has happened in January....

So you can tell that I'm not really a journal-writing sort of person. I wouldn't haver made a good living as Samuel Pepys. The truth is I've always felt awkward about putting my feelings down on paper. I keep great diaries when we travel, noting and observing costumes and customs, great food, fantastic scenery. But when I get home... nothing again. So I'm not even going to try this year.

I read the other day that fellow writer Laura Lippman comes up with a one word resolution for each year.

I tried to think what mine would be. There was one of those word boards on Facebook and the first three things you see dictate what sort of year you'll have: Mine were gratitude. Create. Love. Sounds good to me.  But if I am to be honest, in the midst of a growing pandemic and craziness in DC, my one word resolution at this very moment is SURVIVE. 

We have put so much energy into just staying alive for the past year. I don't want to let my guard down when the end is in sight. So that still means chatting with my family members across a back garden, all wearing masks. No shopping except senior hour once a week. And daily walks during which we steer a wide berth around other walkers even if they are wearing masks (which 99 percent do in Marin).

Someone posted this adorable picture on Facebook and it just about sums it up, doesn't it?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Survive is good. REMEMBER? PERSEVERE? OPTIMISM? WINE?

 I think we should remember this topic, and six months from now, see what we’re saying. Now that’ll be interesting. 

JENN McKINLAY: I’ve done the one word resolution for years as a writer friend of mine, Holly Jacobs, mentioned that she’d been doing it for years. I’ve always picked words like gratitude, focus, or dream, and then last year I picked abundance. Hub looked at me on New Year’s Day and said, “Don’t pick “abundance” again but if you must, please be more specific that it should be good things.”

HANK: Okay, true, good thought.  Jenn! Let’s ALL pick SPECIFICITY.

HALLIE EPHRON: For years my resolution was PUBLISH A BOOK. I kept it written on a piece of paper in a drawer and then I’d just change the year. This year has been tough and I haven’t written a new book. So I think I’ll retire that scrap of paper. I’ll pick up on Rhys  and Hank’s suggestion: Survive. 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I've never been much for big resolutions on the new year. My resolutions are always the same--write in my journal, walk more, write more, write faster… But if I had to pick one word this year, I think it would be PERSEVERE. We've made it through almost ten months of this pandemic. Let's all just hang in there a little bit longer.

LUCY:  I think I'm going with Hank's optimism. Otherwise how to survive in these troubled times.

 JULIA: Two years ago, my word (okay, phrase) was "The One Thing." I was working on figuring out what one thng I needed to get done that day and stick to it. My word at the beginning of 2020 was "Organize" but as soon as I got sick at the end of January it became "Self Care" and I've pretty much stuck with that. Chocolates? Self care. Spend the afternoon reading? Self care. 

 

The beginning of this year has been SO harried, both personally (lots of family-related stuff) and psychologically (uh, everything happening outside my doors) that I haven't sat down to plan my year and try to come up with a theme or word for it. Maybe "Agoraphobia?"

RHYS: Okay, dear readers, do you have a one word resolution for this crazy year ahead?

And after what we've been through this week, I think this is good advice....