Two years ago, I made what turned out to be one of the best New Year’s resolutions of my life: I resolved to finish my book.

And I did it.

That resolution turned out to be just the accountability I needed to finally be able to type the words “The End” on my first manuscript. A proud and exciting moment, to be sure.

This excitement led me to decide that my 2015 resolution should be this: get an agent. Spoiler alert: I don’t have one yet.

Does that mean I have failed? Of course not. What it means is that I made the mistake of choosing a resolution not entirely in my control. It’s not the only rookie publishing mistake I have made, but the good news is that I’m learning from those mistakes. While I haven’t yet reached my publishing destination, the journey has been incredibly fun, educational, and even successful thus far:

I have learned how time-consuming – and important – revisions are. I’ve become a better self-editor and (I hope) a better critique partner.

I have discovered the amazing writing community, and made new friends who are kind and knowledgeable and just plain wonderful.

I attended my first-ever writing conference, and it was nothing short of amazing – the people, the knowledge, and the motivation to keep going were all priceless.

I have continued to improve my query letter, and have received requests as well as extremely valuable feedback.

I have entered contests, and even had some success. (But the true success, as I’ve mentioned, has been making new writer friends during these contests!)

As this year comes to an end, I am resolving to not make the same mistake in choosing a resolution. Therefore, my 2016 New Year’s resolutions are:

1. Finish my next book.
2. Keep learning.
3. Don’t give up.

I actually think these will be my resolutions every year from now on. Because no matter where I am on my journey, these will always be my goals.

What are your publishing resolutions for 2016?