A Year of Literary Happiness

I’m not one to rip off other people’s ideas, but when Gretchen Rubin, on her podcast, suggested trying a happiness project in the new year, it got my wheels turning. To say I was unhappy last year is an understatement. I don’t want to belabor that point and keep saying it was hard (even if it was). What I want to do is turn the page and head in a new direction.

Part of that is adopting my two mantras for the year: DO THE WORK and ENJOY IT. Do the work because this is the year I’m going to hunker down and write, and my goal is to write my way into a book. Enjoy it because I want to not only enjoy the writing, but also enjoy my life in general. I need more joy, more happiness, more life.

Last year was a year to nurture myself. This year is the year to launch into something new.

So, when Gretchen Rubin recommended having a happiness project of your own, I thought that was something I could do. I could take back my life, get myself together, and hopefully come out happier on the other side.

I hadn’t read The Happiness Project since it came out in 2009, so I got it out of the library and flipped through it. Gretchen’s project was comprehensive, covering everything from decluttering her home to her relationships with her family members to her work life. I didn’t want to copy what she did exactly and, as I thought more about what I wanted from the coming year, realized cleaning out my closets is something I can do, but I didn’t really think it was going to make me happy.

What was going to make me happy was to create something new this year.

What was going to make me happy was to write.

One evening in December, I drew myself a hot bath and, as I waited for the water to fill the tub, I thought about writing poetry. My graduate studies focused on poetry writing, and I still feel like a poet through and through. But I’ve stopped writing poetry on a regular basis, and I’ve stopped reading it too. Maybe a month a poetry would do me good, preferably in April, National Poetry Month.

The water continued to rise against the porcelain and my mind continued to run with this idea. Maybe a month of poetry, and maybe something else with a literary bent. A month of children’s lit, perhaps. Or a month of blogging.

The wheels kept turning and then it clicked into place: a literary happiness project.

I could focus my whole year on words—on writing them and reading them—and give some structure to it all within the happiness project framework.

That felt right. It felt like the idea clicked right into place and had some life to it, some juice. I wrote a quick note in my phone, so I wouldn’t forget, got into the tub and kept right on thinking.

And now I’m ready to say it out loud:

I’m doing a Literary Happiness Project in 2019.

But what does that mean? My plan is to create a writing and reading life that fulfills me. I want to establish a sustainable writing routine and stay on track to write a book. I want to read more books, poems, and essays that I love and feel happy in my reading life. And I plan to do it all in public because I realize I need the accountability.

My plan is to have a theme for each month, something to guide me through and shape the month based around a literary concept. Then, I plan to share what I’m writing, reading, and doing in general to embrace the theme and create more happiness in my life.

Here are the themes I plan to cover this year:

• January: Exposition/introduction
• February: Voice
• March: Place/setting
• April: Figurative language
• May: Character/people
• June: Listening
• July: Pause/rest
• August: Rereading
• September: Routine/ritual
• October: Flashbacks
• November: Reflection/time
• December: Conclusion/resolution

I realize this project isn’t a huge deviation from what I already do. What’s different about it is the intention, which is provide me with happiness and focus inside of what I already love: words. I don’t want to slog along anymore. I don’t want to dread writing or feel afraid to sit down and see what’s there. I also don’t want to waste any more time reading books I don’t love.

You’ll find me here writing about the experience and over on Instagram sharing the nitty gritty day-to-day stuff. I’ll share what I’m writing, what I’m reading, my goals for the month, and how I’m infusing my literary life with happiness.  

I want what Gretchen Rubin wanted: a happier life. And this project is going to help me find that. I hope you’ll join me.