A few years ago, I was bartending at Cafe Rouge, now called Fuse. One evening, when the bar was a bit slow, an older man dressed in a sharp black suit sat down, ordered a dirty martini and asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I was a writer trying to get paid for my art and that I was bartending to make money. He wrinkled his forehead, lifted his eyebrows and said, "So, you're a bartender." I slapped his drink down on the bar in front of him and forcefully repeated myself. He laughed and took a sip of his martini before saying, "I dreamed of doing that writing thing once too, but I grew out of it."

For some reason, right before the ball dropped on New Year's Eve, in my champagne and red wine-induced drunken haze, I thought about that man again. I thought about everyone I'd ever met who told me that they were writing a novel or had a great idea for a story that they never started. I thought about my friends who write constantly but never try to publish. I believe that this new year is about making revolutions, not dreamy resolutions that you won't keep. So, consider this the reality-kick-in-the-ass that you need to start off this year right.

First off, if you call yourself a writer and don't write every day, then you are not a writer (yeah, I did just say that). Occasionally, you may need to distance yourself from your work so that you can get a more objective view of it, but you should be writing something for at least 30 minutes a day.

Also, if you've been writing for a while, then you know that the first 10 or 15 minutes of a writing session is usually garbage mingled with a few good sentences. But, by showing up to the blank notebook every day and keeping that routine, you will get into writing more of the good stuff sooner. It doesn't matter when, where or what gets you to write: Write in praise of a new morning, sneak up on your words during your lunch break, let it be the last moments of your day before you fall asleep, or write in defiance of your boss who is too busy to notice that you aren't doing the company's work. Whatever it takes, get the words out of you and onto that page.

Secondly, you need to stay in the "conversation." I heard somewhere that you should surround yourself with what you wish to become. We artists already have it tough enough since the traditional world doesn't take us seriously, so why not team up? You'll be surprised how much new material you create when you step outside of the isolation you've created for yourself in your home. Every weekend there are writing events around the area. Make a point to go to them. Drop by an indie music venue. Go to a local art opening. I truly believe what makes this valley great is that it is jam-packed with amazing talent. These artists will truly make a statement about our generation.

Third, the world doesn't revolve around you, so don't wait around to get discovered. If you are reheating your New Year's Eve pork and sauerkraut dinner in the microwave while you read this article, enjoy your instant gratification. But the world of writing is not a dry microwavable leftover dinner. It's more like a mouth-watering homemade heavy stew after six hours in a slow cooker. You should be prepared to work hard from washing and chopping the vegetables to the last fulfilling spoonful. You have to be prepared to write, edit and revise. You have to research publishing places (in fact, grab a Writers Market 2008 or go to www.pw.org), ask your published friends tons of questions, perfect your cover letters and always mail out your best work. Get excited about good responses. Be driven when you receive bad responses. Keep writing no matter what.

Happy 2008. Now wake up and get busy!

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