I turned 39 last week.

Birthdays never cease to amaze me; I just keep getting older. It’s such a trip. When I was young, various people who weren’t related to me—teachers, journalist, friends—told me that it’s something of a miracle for a black man from where I was from to make it to their 18th birthday. They had good reason; with the crack epidemic and the gang stuff, the shootings, there were so many ways a person of color could die by 18 that getting there was an accomplishment. It was such a big deal that those same people told me that the average life expectancy of a black man increased by two years for every year you live past 18, until your mid-40’s.

By that logic, I’ve lived an entire extra life, and I’m covered until 61.

But, wow, I’m lucky for the time I’ve been here. I’ve got a great family, a fantastic group of friends, an awesome (small, but growing) fan base. I have a decent job that allows me the flexibility to pursue my second career. Life is wonderful.

I know people who have told me that I get far too geared up for birthdays, especially at my age. They may be right. But I understand that the next day isn’t guaranteed, so celebrate everything, including birthdays.

However, nothing is perfect. I make resolutions twice a year: on New Year’s Day, like everyone else, and on October 1, in advance of my birthday. Just like the regular ones, my birthday resolutions are a mixed bag. Some are easy no-brainers, some are well-intentioned and highly impractical. The only real difference is that they start sooner, and are kind of a test run for January. So, with no more gilding the lily, and without any ado… Frank’s Birthday Resolutions!!

1. Release the next book. I had initially wanted to release my third novel this year, but it’s not quite ready yet. That’s my bad. I want it to be as close to perfect as I can make it, and it’s not there yet. In December, I’m going to do my final edits and test reads, and we’ll go from there. I’m waiting for December because I’m spending the next two months trying to…

2. Finish NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I tried NaNo once. The project took me five years to get a draft out, and that November, I only wrote a little over 11,000 words. NaNo merely is a challenge to write more, and write consistently, and not obsess over making a perfect draft the first time around. I’m going to do my best to put out as many words as I can manage as quickly as I can.

3. Be fit at 40. Changing gears a bit, an old friend of mine in New York dropped 96 pounds (and counting) this year, just because he made it a priority and worked his ass off to do it. He committed to it. I haven’t been able to commit to fitness the way I’ve wanted to; instead, I’ve only been talking about more exercise, better eating habits, and increased fitness levels. The problem is, I’ve always found better things to do (or eat). No more. Like the song says, “Don’t talk about it, be about it.”

4. Complete more short stories. Right, back to writing. Short stories are fun to write. Getting into a story testing mode is great. I’ve posted a few of my shorts on this site, and I hope you’ve enjoyed them because there will be more.

And that’s it. Four things I want to change by my next birthday. And now I have you to keep me honest. Thanks!

Cheers!

#2017 #birthday #writing #author #resolutions #gratitude