Tag: New Years Resolutions

  • Year in Review – 2016

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    Empty Cork-Board!

    That’s right people, we’ve nearly made it through one more year. And it was an election year at that!

    Which … let’s be honest … I’m terribly surprised we managed to survive. I think we can all agree that this year’s election was just plain ugly to watch. But, hey, we managed to get through.

    And that means it’s time for my Year in Review!

    This is one of my favorite posts to do. It’s where I take a look at what I projected to have completed 365-ish days ago and what I hope to do next year. It’s … sort of New Year’s Resolution stuff but focused on writing.

    Because if I don’t have goals I end up playing Star Wars the Old Republic and reading a ton of books.

    Which … consequently … has been my whole December, but I did that on purpose. December is my month off.

    So! What did I say I was going to do this year?

    1)  Dead Weight – the sequel to Tapped is slated for work to begin starting January 1st.  

    Check! Totally did that.

    2) Primal – This is a new-adult-paranormal-romance novel that I’ve been kicking around for years. I’ll begin work on it sometime in June, after I’ve completed the draft for Dead Weight.

    … Well … Primal was revamped into Ashwood, which I completed for NaNoWriMo this year. So, technically, I can put a check mark here too.

    3) Residual Haunting – Will be completed in 2016. ‘Nuff said.

    Derp. Nope. I didn’t go near Residual Haunting all year long. Big red XX in that box. I actually forgot I meant to do that this year.

    4) Usurper – Is currently being edited. It may drag into the first two weeks of 2016, but not much further than that.

    I did do this. But it needs another edit before I’m comfortable with it. So … I’ll put half a check-mark.

    5) Persona – Is going to go onto Kindle Scout. 

    Big check mark here too. Persona DID go to Kindle Scout. And there it languished in obscurity because I am just horrible at asking people to vote for my things. It is now out for review with one agent and one publisher and I might try five more places before going ahead with publishing it in the Indie market.

    What did I do this year that I didn’t project?

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    Nuisance in the tree. 

    Well, I wrote a novelette called Torven and a short story called Ava and began world building a new fantasy called Swans. And I got a new kitten for the kiddo who continues to try climbing our Christmas tree. And I started a relationship with a very good man who doesn’t mind my crazy.

    All in all, I’d say 2016 was a very successful year.

    What do I want to do in 2017?

    1)  Final edits on Usurper – I have this scheduled out for January through March.

    2)  Dead Weight – Editing, editing, and more editing. I hope to have this novel out for sale in the Fall.

    3)  Swans – My new novel for the year. High epic fantasy. I lurve it already.

    4) Ashwood – Beginning edits in the Fall.

    5) Inmate 87101 – This would be the third installment of the Tapped series. I want to have the outline completed by the end of the year.

    And that’s it! Those are my writing projections for 2017. I’m totally jazzed about it and I can’t wait to start.

    I hope everyone else has something they’re looking forward to getting done in the coming year. If not, well, have a good year anyway. If you do have some writing goals then …  Good luck to you! I’ll see you all in 2017!

     

  • A Look At 2014

    Woot! It’s time to make my list of things for next year!

    Really, I love this post. It gets me all excited for what I’m about to work on. I did spend a lot of time playing with this new computer and its handy little calendar, so I have a lot of big ideas to put up here.

    So, without further ado, here is my list for 2014.

    #1) Graduate. (That’s right, people. In May 2014 I will officially graduate from Northwest Nazarene University with my Bachelor of Arts.)

    #2) Submit Persona to the ABNA contest in January. (That’s the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. It’s worth a shot, you know?)

    #3) Implement edits from developmental editor (Yay, Gabriel Fitzpatrick!) on Tapped. (Yes, that book I finished last year that went out to Alpha/Beta readers and a supremely wonderful editor will be edited during the first 5 months of 2014. It wouldn’t normally take that long to do edits but … you know … I’ll still be in school around that time.)

    #4) Finish Residual Haunting. (Yep, that’s the novel I started for NaNoWriMo this year.)

    #5) Revamp the synopsis and query letters for the revised Tapped novel. And then Send. Out. Those. Queries. (Non-negotiable there.)

    #6) (Starting in September) Revise Persona and start formatting it for publication.

    #7) Participate in NaNoWriMo again. (Hopefully I’ll win, too. I won’t be in school anymore so I won’t have that excuse if I lose.)

    #8) On December 2, 2014 Persona will be released as my first self-published novel. (This would be my big, scary, impossible goal for the year. I’ve never released something on my own and it’s going to be a challenge.)

    #9) I would really, really, really like it if I could climb a mountain. (Let’s hope that I get a car that works and the state of Idaho doesn’t catch fire again.)

    #10) If I can swing it, I would love to be a Secret Santa for someone next year. I’ve had one this year and it has been wonderful fun.

    … And there you have it. My goals for 2014.

    There are a lot more on there than last year, and most of them have to do with writing. Yes, that is deliberate. After graduating I intend to make a big professional push in that direction. That’ll mean marketing and all that jazz as well — which I admit I have no idea how to do.

    But I figure I went to school so I could do what I love. And what I love is telling stories that examine who we are as people, that expose both the ugly parts of us and the beauty we are capable of. The degree that I’ll have is really just another tool to help me tell those stories.

    So here I am rolling up my sleeves, getting ready for one awesome 2014. I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the future.