"Weaseling out of things is important to learn; it’s what separates us from the animals… except the weasel."
- Homer Simpson
In 2022, I had successes and misses, but overall I score myself in the yellow.
How did I do?
2022 Goals
Complete a first draft of my fantasy novel by the summer. Accomplished! This was the big one for me. I finished a rough draft before my deadline, but then I decided to add chapters and POVs, revising several more times. And so I was able to send a full, polished draft that is now in the hands of several beta readers. I'll apply their feedback, revise, and query agents in 2023.
Outline the rest of the Midnight Agency series. Postponed. I outlined book 3, but got no farther.
Complete a first draft of Season Three by year-end. Delayed. This will be a 2023 goal.
Continue submitting current pool of short stories. Accomplished! 23 submissions with three personalized, positive rejections, three Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest (including one silver HM), and one sale.
Start querying agents again about the middle-grade novel. Accomplished. I submitted to several agents and a publisher, but I don't have much hope for this project.
Write a new blog post at least once a month. Nope. This was too ambitious. My initial posts didn't get many hits, and blog writing pulled me away from novel/story writing, so I'll probably do a midyear review in 2023, and maybe a post or two. I did, however, draft a quality personal essay that I'm still proud of.
Read at least 25 books. Accomplished! In truth, I barely made this goal, which saddens me. I used to read about 100 books/year when I was in the book biz and read three books at a time -- one on breaks at work, one during my commute, and one at home. Now, I listen to audiobooks sporadically, and I make slow progress at home. It didn't help that I chose to read several spider-squasher-thick fantasy books which consumed months of reading time. Mental note: choose smaller books!
2023 Writing Goals
Using the SMART model, I think these are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
Revise New Fantasy Novel and submit to agents / publishers by midyear.
Complete a draft of Midnight Agency, Season Three by December.
Throughout the year, keep submitting from pool of short stories, aiming to sell at least one.
Read and complete at least 30 books by December.
Write a midyear accountability blog post with updates.
At the least, publish quarterly blog posts that might interest readers.
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