I was originally going to call this post my "2018 New Year's Resolutions," but I backed off because I remembered that I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. My feelings are that if you try to change just because the calendar flips a day, then none of those changes will stick. A true life change should be reflected in your lifestyle because you want to change, not because you think you are socially obligated to do so. Therefore, instead of resolutions, I'm penning several goals I have for 2018.
1. Publish another novel. I plan to bring out Wrongful Death sometime in the late Spring/early Summer. The novel is complete, although I want to go through it one final time to make sure I've caught all the tiny mistakes. I'm also going to need to use an editor again since I missed a few in Akeldama and had to fix them. That said, I only plan to put out one novel this year. I was going to put out two a year for a while, but this is going to be a hectic year for me, so I think one is all I can manage at this point. I will put out another in early 2019, but the stress of trying to shoehorn two in a year, coupled with some major life changes that I'll be going through in the coming year, will simply be too much.
2. Get back to writing. I haven't been very good at writing this past year. I don't mean that my style has suffered(although that's entirely possible), but rather that I simply haven't written much at all. I used to do around 1000 words a day when I was focused on writing novels, and it has definitely lapsed. I have two novels I need to get to work on, the next chapter for the Akeldama series, and a follow up to Salvation Day. I know where I want them headed, and I've even played out various bits in my mind while driving, but I haven't gotten around to sitting my ass in a chair and actually writing them. Perhaps I can start with 500 words a day, with a 2000-2500 a week goal, and see if I can catch the writing bug again.
3. Market more. My novels have done okay, but I haven't devoted the time to marketing them as I would like. I did a book signing in Charlotte last Summer, but now that I'm back in Kansas, I haven't reached out to bookstores the way I'd planned. I also need to reach out to more bloggers and try to gain exposure. If I ever want this to become more than a hobby, I have to get more people to see my work.
4. Attend a writing conference. I've always wanted to go to one of these writing conferences, but since Kansas is mostly a barren wasteland, I haven't had the chance. I'm going to figure out how to get to one of these events in 2018, even if that means out-of-state travel. I would like to network and attend workshops, but mostly I just want to see what they're like. I have to find a way this year. Time to start looking.
5. Enter Salvation Day and/or Akeldama in a major contest. Several readers have told me my books are decent, and my own ego likes to think I have a smidge of talent, so I want to enter one of these "whole book" contests and see if I can gain validation beyond my small circle. It'll cost some bucks, but I think I can write it off as a business expense. It might also gain me some exposure and get my work out to more people. The trick is going to be finding the right one.
These are my goals for the year. What are yours?
1. Publish another novel. I plan to bring out Wrongful Death sometime in the late Spring/early Summer. The novel is complete, although I want to go through it one final time to make sure I've caught all the tiny mistakes. I'm also going to need to use an editor again since I missed a few in Akeldama and had to fix them. That said, I only plan to put out one novel this year. I was going to put out two a year for a while, but this is going to be a hectic year for me, so I think one is all I can manage at this point. I will put out another in early 2019, but the stress of trying to shoehorn two in a year, coupled with some major life changes that I'll be going through in the coming year, will simply be too much.
2. Get back to writing. I haven't been very good at writing this past year. I don't mean that my style has suffered(although that's entirely possible), but rather that I simply haven't written much at all. I used to do around 1000 words a day when I was focused on writing novels, and it has definitely lapsed. I have two novels I need to get to work on, the next chapter for the Akeldama series, and a follow up to Salvation Day. I know where I want them headed, and I've even played out various bits in my mind while driving, but I haven't gotten around to sitting my ass in a chair and actually writing them. Perhaps I can start with 500 words a day, with a 2000-2500 a week goal, and see if I can catch the writing bug again.
3. Market more. My novels have done okay, but I haven't devoted the time to marketing them as I would like. I did a book signing in Charlotte last Summer, but now that I'm back in Kansas, I haven't reached out to bookstores the way I'd planned. I also need to reach out to more bloggers and try to gain exposure. If I ever want this to become more than a hobby, I have to get more people to see my work.
4. Attend a writing conference. I've always wanted to go to one of these writing conferences, but since Kansas is mostly a barren wasteland, I haven't had the chance. I'm going to figure out how to get to one of these events in 2018, even if that means out-of-state travel. I would like to network and attend workshops, but mostly I just want to see what they're like. I have to find a way this year. Time to start looking.
5. Enter Salvation Day and/or Akeldama in a major contest. Several readers have told me my books are decent, and my own ego likes to think I have a smidge of talent, so I want to enter one of these "whole book" contests and see if I can gain validation beyond my small circle. It'll cost some bucks, but I think I can write it off as a business expense. It might also gain me some exposure and get my work out to more people. The trick is going to be finding the right one.
These are my goals for the year. What are yours?
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