Happy 2024!
I know, we're already a week into 2024, but I figured it was better late than never. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that your new year is off to a great start!
December was spent with family for me...
We took a family trip, did lots of festive activities, and enjoyed most of the typical holiday meals and get-togethers one might expect. We did have to cut those fun times short when my youngest brought home COVID from school right in time for Christmas break, but all-in-all it was a beautiful month.
I took two weeks away from writing, which was the longest I'd gone in over a year. At first, it was a challenge, but by the end I found myself very grateful for taking those steps back to enjoy the time with my family and recover from that awful virus. Now, I've been back at it for over a week and am so excited as I look forward to this year!
2023 RECAP:
Finished drafting 3 novels in my series
Finished drafting 1 standalone novel
Finished editing/revising 1 novel (book one is ready for publication!)
Participated in 4 short story contests, where one of my stories (from the Ms. Scarecrow collection) was shortlisted
Wrote 19 short stories
Began a poetry collection
Total word count: over 1.1 MILLION words (1,175,231 to be exact)
Read 59 books (goal was 50, so yay!)
2024 PLANS:
Complete all edits and revisions for books two and three of The Manifold Chronicles (book two is already with my editor, with book three going to them by summer, hopefully)
Make a final decision regarding self-publishing vs. trad publishing (and either publish book one, or query it based on whatever I decide)
Complete all edits and revisions for my standalone (editor begins work on it in May)
Query standalone
Secure an agent (that’s not really in my control, but I’ve got a plan for querying, have been doing my research into agents/agencies, and am following my spreadsheet diligently lol)
Outline and draft at least 2 new standalone novels
Write 10 short stories
Submit at least 3 short stories to contests
Finish and publish poetry collection
Total word count: 500,000 words
Read 50 books (I've already read 3, so I'm off to a good start)
LESSONS LEARNED:
Even though I managed to average around 100k words per month in 2023, I am under no illusion that this is a reasonable amount to expect from myself all the time. While I do plan to write at the same pace, I also plan to focus on other aspects of writing this year, which include participation in writing groups, workshops, and classes to continue improving my craft. I also intend to be spending more time editing the books I've already written, so that will take time away from word count.
I've joined my local writing group (first meeting tomorrow... eek), am participating in a beta reader match up, and have already registered for 2 courses in the coming months. I love my alone time, but I also see the benefits of having a community around me, so I'm going out on a limb with it.
In addition to a writing community, I'm looking forward to continuing to find and make connections with fellow readers, because I'm one of those, too! And I love discussing books with others who enjoy it as much as I do. There's a book club at my local library, and I'm considering joining it. We shall see. This introvert is not wanting to completely overextend themself.
All that to say, 2023 was one hell of a year! And 2024 is gearing up to be just as exciting.
I'm looking forward to everything this new year brings, and I hope life is as wonderful in your corner of the world as it is here. Sending lots of love <3
