One of my critique groups has an annual planning session in January—we call it our private workshop. What it accomplishes is worth every penny we spend on food and every minute we take away from other demands on our schedules. We dedicate an entire day to hashing through some issue in our writing. This year, I will use my designated time to review the revised outline of my novel.
I’ve written seven chapters, and in that time, realized my original outline is far too ambitious. There are too many locations, too many side trips in my characters’ journey, too many red herrings. Under other circumstances, I might have tried soldiering through, adapting the outline on the fly. Now, preparing for the workshop, I have a reason for not pounding out more pages for my critique partners, and the book will be better for it. It might even get finished sooner. This year, maybe you can give yourself the gift of time to sort out things when you feel you’re on the wrong track.