Writing into the New Year

It's that time of year again, ladies.
Ah, the new year. With the passing of the holidays, comes the promise of new beginnings, excitement and yes, New Year's Resolutions. Why is it so much easier to chuck all of our lousy habits and focus on being good? On bettering ourselves? Perhaps it's a cultural rite that Americans latch onto, or the reminder that time is marching on with or without us.
Whatever the case, I'm never quite as excited about starting something new as I am on January 1. Of course, the average person's resolution goes to the wayside before the first month of the year even ends, but that's neither here nor there. You think: I'm different. My will is stronger than Joe Smith. I can do this!
I thought about the requisite diet and exercise resolution. BORING!!! Here's mine: I resolve to use my elliptical machine for more than a coat rack this year. Of course, in my shifty mind, this leaves a wealth of ambiguity. Maybe I'll do more than look at it, maybe I'll hang streamers and balloons from it. Maybe by the end of 2007, I'll be a trim and firm size 4. (Please excuse me a moment. I'm choking on laughter.)
This year, I'm going to make a resolution from which I will truly benefit and actually have a hope of carrying through.
This year, I resolve to set tiny writing goals each week and....wait for it....wait for it...complete them!
But, wait, you say. I already do this. Jen, for a resolution, this is kind of lame. I was reading my January issue of RWR and caught an article on New Year's writing resolutions. I'm sure many of you know to which article I'm referring. It really struck me. Hey, after all, in 2006, I finished my novel. It may not be The Novel or even The Novel That Gets Published, but this is a huge step. One part of the article mentioned setting small goals, so that when you reached them, you kept setting bigger ones until WHAM! You've completed The Big Goal.
I'm setting my first small goal now: 10 pages a week. That's it. Just 10. If I start to pick up the pace, kudos for me.