Quick note: If you’ve purchased (or received as a gift) Go Teen Writers: Write Your Novel, we want to send you a present! We have a bookmark and a bookplate that we will personalize to you. This is for any copy of Write Your Novel purchased in 2020. You can find the details here.

This is our last post of 2020, a year that was so unprecedented, that word started feeling cliché back in April. Logically, I know nothing magically changes in a few days when the calendar says 2021, but there’s a sense of hope that next year has to be better. (My son is in fourth grade, and last week his elementary school had different dress-up theme days. School spirit, pandemic super hero, etc. Thursday was “throw shade at 2020 and wear your sunglasses” day. I loved that.)

The reality is we don’t know what the next year brings. There’s a lot we can’t control, but that doesn’t mean we should poorly steward what we can control.

A number of you are probably familiar with the idea of picking a word for the coming year. For many, it’s a spiritual practice, to look at the year ahead and decide you want it to be a year of peace or a year of trust. For me, picking a word of the year is both a spiritual practice as well as a helpful way to identify an aspect of my life where I need to grow or be intentional.

My word in 2018 was “brave,” largely because I thought I was going to lose my dad to cancer and have to walk my kids through grief as I dealt with my own. (Happily, my dad is still with us!) My 2019 word was “wonder” because I knew I wasn’t enjoying the beauty around me like I should. I wanted to make decisions that increased my sense of wonder. And 2020 was “abundance” because I wanted to approach life from an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality.

I thought it could be an interesting exercise to pick a word for our next year of writing. Do you want to join me? Your word for writing might be the same as your overall word (mine is) or they might be different. You might want to think on it for a few weeks, or you might know right away what your word is. Or you might think this whole concept is too woo-woo for you, and that’s fine as well!

If you decide to pick a word, I would absolutely love for you to share it in the comments section. That could be so helpful for Jill, Shannon, and I as we consider our direction for Go Teen Writers in 2021.

Here are a couple ideas in case you need help:

Simplify: Maybe you have a tendency to start too many things. Too many WIPs, too many blogs, too many social media accounts, etc. Maybe you want 2021 to be about simplifying your writing life. (OR simplifying aspects in your not-writing life so that your writing life can benefit!)

Brave: Maybe you’ve been timid in your writing or pursuit of publication. Or you have a published book, but you haven’t been sharing about it on social media because it feels scary to do so. Or maybe there’s a story idea you’ve wanted to write, but you’re scared you’ll mess it up.

Student: Maybe you need time to study. Study the craft, marketing, social media, or public speaking. Maybe 2021 is about you soaking in some knowledge.

Joy: This is my word. For me it means pursuing story ideas that bring me joy and being on my guard for joy-thieves, like comparison, fatigue, and self-importance.

And since words are fun, here are more words you might choose:

Focus

Thrive

Play

Listen

Flourish

Explore

Fearless

Vision

Discipline

Intentional

Consistent

Calm

Grateful

Persevere

Strive

Persist

Grace

Delight

Prayer

Whole-hearted

Mindful

Light

Passion

Kind

Commit

Deliberate

Connect

Journey

Whole

Tenacious

If you pick a word, please share in the comments!

Our next post will be January 6th, 2021! I hope you have a merry and safe holiday season!


Stephanie Morrill writes books about girls who are on an adventure to discover their unique place in the world. She is the author of several contemporary young adult series, as well as the 1920s mystery, The Lost Girl of Astor Street, and the WWII era romance, Within These Lines. Since 2010, Stephanie has been encouraging the next generation of writers at her website, GoTeenWriters.com. She lives in the Kansas City area, where she loves plotting big and small adventures to enjoy with her husband and three children. You can connect with Stephanie and learn more about her books at StephanieMorrill.comInstagramFacebook, and Twitter.