James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man's body. He thinks he's still young enough to water ski like a madman and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they'll remember months after they finish one of his stories. He's the best-selling, Christy, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews award winning author of seven novels as well as a professional speaker. During the day he runs his marketing company which helps businesses, authors, and publishers make more coin of the realm. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in eastern Washington. More at www.jameslrubart.com Or e-mail him at: jim@jimrubart.com

As I’m fond of saying, the most powerful way to market yourself is to write a great book. Nothing sells like word of mouth, and nothing gets people talking more than a novel they love so much it feels glued to their fingers.

With that in mind, here are five resolutions for you to consider adopting in 2016 to help you write more compelling stories.

1. Resolve to Study the Craft- If you’re like me, you often spend so much time writing, you don’t take time to study the craft. So commit to a defined amount of time every week where you’ll review the fundamentals (like reading Self Editing for Fiction Writers) or will dive in to an area of the craft you’re weak in.

2. Resolve to Write- Speaking of time ... commit to a certain amount of time each week that you’ll write. I’m not one of those who says you have to write every day. Life gets crazy. So if you end up not writing one day, write more the next day. But write! (You might have to go nuts and cut down your time in front of the rectangular 55” god in front of the couch, but you’ll thank yourself for it when your book is done.)

3. Resolve to Remember God’s Definition of Success- The world says success is money, fame, awards. God’s definition is, “Did you try?” So stop beating up on yourself for not being published yet, or not being traditionally published, or not selling enough books, or not getting awards. Write because you can’t not write, and let the rest go.

4. Resolve to Get Outside Your Genre- Yes, of course you have to be well-read in your genre, but how many books did you read last year that were outside your happy reading world? One? Two? Resolve to read in five different genres than yours this year. I promise you’ll not only get ideas, your writing will improve as you read approaches and encounter tropes you might have never seen before.

5. Resolve to Believe- I was on vacation with Darci and the boys in the late nineties when I met a novelist staying at the same motel we were. After I peppered her with questions she asked if I was a writer. I said no, that I had dabbled with a few short stories, and kept a journal, that I wrote radio ads, but that was about it. She looked at me dead in the eye and said, “You’re a writer.” It was a profound moment for me. Are you writing? Then you are a writer. Believe it.