Top Ten Goals for 2015

In just four days (whaaaat?!?), my 2014 goal list will come down from it's designated spot above my desk. It'll be replaced with my 2015 goals! I still have to review what I accomplished in 2014, but I know I achieved some of my goals, didn’t achieve others and even set a couple aside. (The year I accomplish everything I set out to do will be one for the books!) Here’s the goals that will be hanging above my desk this coming year!

 

Writing

1. Edit my WIP, Aspen!

I wrote Aspen in NaNoWriMo 2014 and have a whole draft that’s just over 55000 words. It needs a lot of editing though, and some more meat! (Fifty thousand words is a little short for YA fantasy.) I also hope to give it to beta readers this year.

            Stretch goal: Query agents!

2. Participate in and win my fourth NaNoWriMo.

3. Write a short story and submit it for publication.

I’ve written a few short stories in my time, and I’ve entered a few contests but trying to get one published would be another way to work on my writing skills and gain experience in the submission and publication process.

 

Reading

4. Read 60 books

            Stretch goal: 70 books

5. Read the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Last year I re-read the Harry Potter series and this year I decided to continue the tradition of re-reading a series. I’ll make sure to include Royal Wedding which comes out on June 2!

6. Read 7 diverse books.

Last May I decided to support the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign by reading more diverse books. I pledged to read eight books, but only managed to read four by the end of the year. I'm setting the goal a little lower for 2015 in hopes I'll get to all seven books!

7. Read 7 books from my own bookshelf that I have yet to read.

I started this in 2014 and read four books from my own shelf. I own plenty of books that I haven't read (unfortunately!), so I'm picking seven to read in 2015. 

           

Internets

8. Keep posting weekly on my blog, which will turn three in May!

9. Comment on five other blogs each month in an effort to connect with other readers and writers.

10. Continue being active on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.

Happy 2015!

My Writing Goals for 2014

My list of goals for 2014 is long. Like one whole Word document long.

Why? You ask. I must be INSANE. Well, it’s not about finishing them all, per say. (Though that’d be pretty awesome if I did.) It’s about having something to work toward in every aspect of my writing life.

Last year, I wanted two things (finish my WIP and publish a short story). Neither of which I accomplished. I’m a little frustrated with myself, even though I did a lot last year. In 2013, I rewrote my WIP, became a repeat NaNoWriMo winner, read 64 books, signed up for a writing course (though I’m still working on finishing it) and hit 500 Twitter followers (on the last day of the year).

However none of those things were on my list for 2013, which is why this year I’m being more thorough. Goals for EVERY SINGLE aspect of my writing life. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Finish editing the draft of my WIP. Send to beta readers by summer. (This is the big one. The kahuna. If I do this and none of the others, I’ll be one happy writer girl.)
2. Read over 60 books. (Because books are the BEST.)
3. Re-read Harry Potter. (It’s been too long since this has happened.)
4. Keep posting here! (I’ll hit my two year anniversary in May and my two year anniversary of posting every week in September!)
5. Interact with more YA authors/readers/bloggers on Twitter/Tumblr/blogs. (I want to get to know you ALL and hear about what you’re writing/reading.)
6. Write WIP sequel in NaNoWriMo 2014. (Yeah this is almost a year away, but that’s where I want to be by November—ready to write my SECOND book.)

Having such an extensive list will likely mean some of the goals will go unaccomplished, but hopefully I will take strides toward each of them. And I’m already craving the day in early 2015 when I can say I accomplished three or five or even ALL of my 2014 goals! 

Here’s to a happy, healthy 2014, full of words and coffee and heroines and… well, I could go on forever. Here’s to 2014!

No Post on Sundays

As of tomorrow, I will have posted on this blog every week for a whole year. Whoa! Part of me can’t believe that I’ve posted 52 times since last September. And it didn’t happen on purpose either. On the last day of September 2012, I posted about adult fiction authors who have recently ventured into YA. I posted the next Sunday, and the next. By NaNoWriMo time (November to all ye non-writers), I didn’t want to break the streak. Even though it was a tough month to keep it up, I’m glad I did, because now I’m celebrating this awesome anniversary!

 

Here’s how I did it:

Document Every Idea

I have a whole folder on my desktop dedicated to blog ideas. It’s full of half posts, post beginnings, headlines and general ideas, in dozens of different Word documents. Not all of these ideas are good. Actually, I would say that most of them are not good, but with some thought, work and writing, they could make worthy posts. Basically, I never want to be caught at the end of the week with an idea (or five), so I make sure I document every potential post idea.

Plan Ahead

I don’t sit down Sunday morning with a latte and start writing my post. Most Sundays I have something to do other than write, whether it’s working at the bookstore or spending time with my boyfriend. So I plan ahead to make sure I’m prepared to post on Sundays, by brainstorming and writing the post earlier in the week.  Plus, I like to have time to mull it over and edit as necessary, before letting it loose on the internet realm.

Also, I have an agenda dedicated to writing plans, where I mark if I’m planning a seasonal or annual post for a certain week, like last week’s Most Anticipated Teen Books: Fall 2013. And, if that isn’t enough, I have a reminders app that rings an alarm every Sunday at 10AM, just in case I forgot to post my blog.

No Excuses

There are very few exceptions to my “Post On Sundays” rule. It’s very possible that something unexpected might delay the post in the future. But so far work, boyfriend time, family time and even being away from home has not stopped me from posting on Sundays.

Why It’s Important

Because I’m developing my writing habit. Even if I don’t write anything else that week, I know that I’ve written at least 300 words on my blog and posted it to the world (or a couple dozen likable folks). In the past 52 posts, I’ve recognized growth in my writing, as well as my research techniques and selecting topics that are (hopefully) both relevant and interesting. Over the next year, I hope to keep up this weekly habit and continue to evolve as a blogger and writer.

As always, thanks for reading!

My Reading Habit

Four years ago, I started keeping a reading journal. It lists every book I’ve read in four years, when I read it and has a one page review, with basic plot information and my opinion of the book overall. These journals (I started my second in early 2012) have been an undeniable resource in tracking my reading. Recently, I saw it fit to enter every book into Goodreads. I am happy to note that in the past 4 years, I’ve read over 200 books.

Then I stumbled upon this lovely chart that tells how many books I read each year since I started tracking:


(A note on 2008: I didn’t begin my journal until 2009, however
I do know that I read some series (namely Twilight) at the end of 2008,
so this is a rough estimate of my reading beginning August 2008.)

Whoa.

Turns out I’m all over the place with my reading. I had known that some years I read more and some years I struggled to get books read. But whoa. Turns out I had never known the exact numbers.

Reviewing this chart I noticed that:

1)     I can tell a lot about each year of my life from how much I read. There is a correlation in my job/personal situation and how much I read. I won’t go into the unappealing details, but factors in my life dictated how much I read. This is unfortunate but inescapable.

2)     I need to balance out how much I read. I need to set a doable reading goal, and make sure that my life doesn't revolve around reading (e.g. 2010) but I don’t want it to fall by the wayside either (e.g. 2011).

I first read about Goodreads Reading Challenge on Heather Marie's blog, and I loved the idea. After some thought, I decided a good reading year for me would be 30-40 books (more than 2012, but less than 2009). So I decided to set my goal for 2013 right in the middle with 35 books. It’s pretty much 3 books a month and one book every 10 days (with a little leeway). It’s an achievable goal. Reading won’t take over my life, but I won’t allow myself to forget about it either.

So here it is:

Right now, I’m on track. I read three awesome books in January, and I’m nearly done with my fourth, the newest from Ally Carter. It will be a challenge (hence the title) to stay on top of this, but it’s one that I readily accept. Who knows where 2013 will take me and if I will have time for 31 more books, but I hope I will. Because sometimes the fantasy worlds of teen books can take me farther than I have the means to travel in real life.

Happy reading!

Resolving to Write

It’s nearly a week into 2013 and I’ve barely written anything. I haven’t worked on revising my NaNoWriMo story nor have I expanded the short story idea that overtook me on Christmas Eve. I’ve become distracted by life again, and my writing has fallen by the wayside. If I had made a New Year’s resolution, I would have already failed.

But I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I think they’re rash, flimsy things that are usually lost by the first sight of Valentine chocolates. I prefer to make goals instead. I know the terms aren’t very different in meaning. However, I contemplate my goals for a while before I set them. I’ve been thinking about my 2013 goals since Christmas, and I am still contemplating as I write this post, nearly a week into 2013.

Should I resolve to… WRITE DAILY?

     (I’ll fail within a week.)

Should I resolve to… WRITE MORE?

     (Better but it needs to be more concrete. And how many words defines more?)

Should I resolve to… WRITE 5000 WORDS A WEEK?

     (Isn’t what I’m writing more important than how much?)

 

WRITING GOALS: WINTER/SPRING 2013

1.)    WRITE A SHORT STORY & GET IT PUBLISHED

2.)    REVISE MY NANO STORY INTO A DRAFT READY FOR BETA READERS

I’m starting small and simple. I would like to get something published, even if it’s just a short story. I have two finished short stories and I’m working on another. Once I finish that one, I will have three solid short stories to submit. Hopefully I can get one published by summer.

Also, my NaNo story has been in the back of my mind since November 30. I worked on it on and off in early December. But the holidays are so bright and shiny; I got distracted. So, I resolve to dive into edits and have a first full draft ready for beta readers, also by summer.

That gives me just over six months. I think I’ll be happy if I accomplish just one of these goals. I’ll be downright ecstatic if I can manage to succeed at both.

Now, I’ll post these in my apartment so they stare at me every day.

Some Helpful Posts on Writing Goals/Resolutions and the New Year:

YA Stands: Fulfilling your 2013 Writing Resolutions

Jeff Goins: Making the Most of the New Year

Nova Ren Suma: In Which I Fail (Most of) My Resolutions… But End 2012 on a Good Note (Really)