I’m not good at making resolutions. I know how hard it is to keep them.

But when you’ve uncorked the champagne, watched the ball drop in Times Square, even if it is only on television, and herded everyone onto the porch to watch fireworks over the Hudson River, you think, Wow. I can do it. Start the new year with a clean slate. And while I’m at it, I’ll use fireworks in my next love scene.

But this year I decided to make a resolution I can keep. And in the tradition of KISS (Keep it simple stupid) I only made one. A very logical one that didn’t include not eating chocolate, or cleaning house when I’m on deadline.

Here’s my resolution. I will sit down to my computer and approach writing in a calm and professional way. I’ll still let myself drop tears over my heroine’s broken heart. I’ll laugh at my hero’s stupid jokes. But I will not—will not—FREAK OUT over the progress of my story. Will not PANIC over deadlines.

Anybody else already broken your New Year’s Resolution?

Here’s how I did. I love my new story and my new characters. J.T. is a young female sportswriter doing a human interest story on a minor league baseball team. Tommy’s a major league pitcher whose career is shorten by an injury. He’s come home to open a community sports center for low income kids.

I love them both. I even love the story. And that doesn’t always happen right away.
They’re both admirable, honest, lovable people. They find each other attractive. They’re interested in each other. I know they’re going to live happily ever after—eventually. But it’s page 94 and they haven’t even kissed.
I’ve been pushing them at each other for days, and yesterday, less than twenty four hours after my resolution, I lost it.

I yelled at them. “What’s wrong with you people? This is A Brava book. Kiss her already. I swear the two of them looked out of that computer screen and said, “Mind your own business, we’re getting to it.”

“But you are my business!”

I didn’t hear their answer to that because at that point my daughter stuck her head in my office door and said, “Are you calling me?”

Oops. I realized not only that J.T. and Tommy were right, but that I had made another resolution that was impossible to keep.

Life isn’t about always staying aloof and logical and trying to orchestrate events to suit yourself. Sometimes you have to jump in with both feet, embrace life with everything you’ve got, laugh and cry and even yell a little, maybe take that road less traveled.

So I have to say to J.T. and Tommy. Thanks guys. I’ll hang in there and see if you get to that kiss on your own or whether I might just have to give you a push.

Anybody else make a resolution that you couldn’t—maybe shouldn’t — keep. Better still, did anyone make a resolution they could keep?