Five Wishes for Writers in 2025

A new year is a great time for beginnings. You might make traditional resolutions or embark on new goals or habits. I’m doing some of that myself, on matters writing-related and otherwise.

But instead of focusing on the nitty-gritty, practical aspects of becoming a better writer, today I’m offering a more inspirational take: I want to tell you what I wish for you, a writer, this year.

1. I wish that, in at least one of your writing projects, you find that perfect symmetry between your first page and your last page that makes the whole work sing. There’s nothing as beautiful.
2. I wish that inspiration will surprise you one day when you least expect it: in the stands at your kid’s hockey practice, or in the kitchen as you unload the dishwasher, or in the checkout line at the grocery store.
3. I wish you a quiet moment as you edit, working methodically through the polishing of your draft, when you push yourself just a little bit farther to do just a little bit more and then look at the clock to see how much time has passed because you’ve been so deep in your work that this world, our world, ceased to exist for you. And in that quiet moment you say to yourself, I’m so lucky that I get to do this.
4. I wish you the gift of self-awareness, a realization about your unique method of writing that enables you to let go of all the writing advice that doesn’t work for you and hone in on the process that does. Only you can write the way you
5. I wish that you find one person whose critique of your work strengthens and clarifies it, one person who knows exactly how to couch their suggestions and insights so that you receive them in an open and creative spirit. You might find this person online or at a conference or among your friends and family. It is not unheard-of that this person might, under the right circumstances, be you.

No matter where you are in your writing career, you can always improve your writing craft. And if your goal is publication, no amount of inspiration will replace the need for hard work, persistence, and flexibility.

But writing also benefits from just a little magic. We are alchemists, illusionists, creators. We make our work from nothingness. Why shouldn’t we make wishes too?

Q: What’s your wish for yourself or other writers in the coming year?

Greer Macallister

Raised in the Midwest, Greer Macallister earned her MFA in creative writing from American University. Her historical novels have been named Book of the Month, Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target Book Club, and Amazon Best Book of the Month picks and optioned for film and television. Her latest novel, The Thirteenth Husband, is inspired by Aimee Crocker, the Paris Hilton of the Gilded Age. Macallister also writes the ongoing Five Queendoms epic fantasy series as G.R. Macallister. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Boston, MA. www.greermacallister.com

www.greermacallister.com/