Each year I write myself a letter on or around 1 January to outline my goals for the year ahead. I publish this on the blog to keep myself accountable, and check in mid-year to see how I'm tracking, and again at the end of the year.
It's time for that end-of-year check-in on my 2017 goals, ahead of writing my new ones for 2018.
The original letter is in black normal type, my June/July check in in black itallics, and my end of year comments in red. Let's see how I got on, shall we?
Dear Me,
2017 feels like it is going to be a year of change. This early on, it’s difficult to know if those changes will be positive or negative, so I am heading into the new year with a certain amount of uncertainty hanging over my head. I’m trying to see this as a good thing. Change doesn’t have to be bad. Often it’s good to get kicked out of a rut or comfort zone and forced to challenge yourself. But it can be terrifying and uncertainty is always unnerving.
Well, there sure has been change! My agent and I parted ways early in the year, I've bought and sold a house and moved, we have kittens and a new car… I must've been prescient or something back in January!
Nothing much more has changed since June/July, but I feel like the whole year has been about adjusting to the changes and becoming re-settled into my new reality. And being in that state of flux isn't the best place to be when trying to be creative as well as winning at life.
One thing I am certain about is my love for writing, and as my productivity is something I can control, I will focus my goals for the upcoming year in that direction rather than on the things I have little or no control over.
I am just over 50K into the novel I started during NaNo and my first goal is to finish that. It’s kind of a mess, so I know it will need a lot of work, but to do that work, I have to finish writing it. I hope to get this done by the end of February or early in March.
Nope. Haven't even opened the file for that book. I'm terrible… But that said, I have been busy with moving house and working on a ghostwriting project that just kind of fell into my lap. So there hasn't been a lot of time to work on that NaNo book, or anything much else.
Still haven't looked at that one. There are SO MANY almost finished, or half finished manuscripts hanging out in my hard drive. One day I will have to read through them all and decide which ones might be worth continuing with, and which should be buried forever in hard-drive hell.
I am just over 50K into the novel I started during NaNo and my first goal is to finish that. It’s kind of a mess, so I know it will need a lot of work, but to do that work, I have to finish writing it. I hope to get this done by the end of February or early in March.
Nope. Haven't even opened the file for that book. I'm terrible… But that said, I have been busy with moving house and working on a ghostwriting project that just kind of fell into my lap. So there hasn't been a lot of time to work on that NaNo book, or anything much else.
Still haven't looked at that one. There are SO MANY almost finished, or half finished manuscripts hanging out in my hard drive. One day I will have to read through them all and decide which ones might be worth continuing with, and which should be buried forever in hard-drive hell.
I have a lot of manuscripts hanging around my hard drive in various stages of finshed-ness. Once I have completed the ugly first draft of the NaNo book, I plan to dig out a couple of the best almost-finished or not-quite-there novels and get them polished up to where I feel they need to be. I know there are at least two I actually quite like, but got kind of lost in the chaos of editing and revising and writing new shiny things.
I have done this. I have one of those projects just about ready to send out. I just need to find the time to do a final polish on it.
I have done this. I have one of those projects just about ready to send out. I just need to find the time to do a final polish on it.
I actually did finish that one (SHOOK) and sent it out to a couple of agents. Feedback was positive, but everyone seems to feel one of the two voices is more distinct and interesting than the other. So I will have to revise again to make the whole story from the one POV instead of having the dual narrative it has been since I conceived the story.
I imagine that will take me until about June.
I plan to do Camp NaNo in June and attempt to turn a series of short stories I have written about a single family and their beach house into a novel. This will be a real challenge because the narrator in these stories is both nameless and genderless. It’s challenging enough to deal with that in a 3000 word short story, so attempting a novel in that voice will be a real test for me. But I’m pretty excited about it. I just need to think more about how to structure the novel and whether to include the original short stories as part of the book, or to start from scratch, maybe referencing them in some way.
Nope again! No Camp NaNo for me. The nature of ghostwriting is that I can't commit to writing a certain amount in a period of time because I have to rely on someone else to feed me the story.
I imagine that will take me until about June.
I plan to do Camp NaNo in June and attempt to turn a series of short stories I have written about a single family and their beach house into a novel. This will be a real challenge because the narrator in these stories is both nameless and genderless. It’s challenging enough to deal with that in a 3000 word short story, so attempting a novel in that voice will be a real test for me. But I’m pretty excited about it. I just need to think more about how to structure the novel and whether to include the original short stories as part of the book, or to start from scratch, maybe referencing them in some way.
Nope again! No Camp NaNo for me. The nature of ghostwriting is that I can't commit to writing a certain amount in a period of time because I have to rely on someone else to feed me the story.
Those stories are still hanging around in my head and wanting to be a novel. Earlier in the year I applied for a writers' grant to write this book, thinking that if I got it, I'd be able to afford to work a 4-day week and spend a full day each week writing. Unfortunately I didn't get the grant. But there will be other opportunities. And even if I don't get a grant, I've written all my other books while working full time, so there is no reason why I can't keep on writing in the early mornings, nights and weekends.
Once I’ve completed the draft of the beach house book, I will revise the NaNo book. By then I ought to have had enough time away that I can see it clearly and will be able to revise it effectively. And my awesome critique group will help.
Well, since I haven't finished writing that book, I don't think my critique group are going to be helping me revise it. Damn! I've failed hard on these goals this year. Harder than I usually do!
Depending on what else happens throughout the year, I will also try to do NaNo in November. Some years the timing doesn’t work for me because of editing or revising, but it is such a great motivator. I have some other ideas creeping around the back of my head, none of which are ready to be put to paper, but by November hopefully one will be…
Maybe. We'll see… I'd like to do it, but it's too early to know if I'll have space in my schedule or if I'll have an idea burning to get out.
Once I’ve completed the draft of the beach house book, I will revise the NaNo book. By then I ought to have had enough time away that I can see it clearly and will be able to revise it effectively. And my awesome critique group will help.
Well, since I haven't finished writing that book, I don't think my critique group are going to be helping me revise it. Damn! I've failed hard on these goals this year. Harder than I usually do!
Depending on what else happens throughout the year, I will also try to do NaNo in November. Some years the timing doesn’t work for me because of editing or revising, but it is such a great motivator. I have some other ideas creeping around the back of my head, none of which are ready to be put to paper, but by November hopefully one will be…
Maybe. We'll see… I'd like to do it, but it's too early to know if I'll have space in my schedule or if I'll have an idea burning to get out.
I did do NaNo, but for the first time I didn't win. I had edits to do for my publisher that came in a week into NaNo and even though they were small edits and didn't take me long to turn around, they were enough to knock me off course with NaNo. I finished with just over 30K written and a book I should have started 11 chapters later than I did. I will go back to that story in the New Year. And the book I started NaNo with before changing tack and starting a second book on about day 4... Yeah, my writing this year has been a mess.
I will attempt, as I do every year, to be more active in my critique group. I tend to have bursts of activity, but I really am not as good as I ought to be when it comes to reviewing for them. I will aim to be much better this year!
Again, not so hot in this area. But that is partly because I can't share the ghostwriting book with the group because I'm bound by a non-disclosure agreement until the book is finished.
I will attempt, as I do every year, to be more active in my critique group. I tend to have bursts of activity, but I really am not as good as I ought to be when it comes to reviewing for them. I will aim to be much better this year!
Again, not so hot in this area. But that is partly because I can't share the ghostwriting book with the group because I'm bound by a non-disclosure agreement until the book is finished.
The critique group has largely lain dormant this year. We have all grown so much as writers since we started in the group, and with publishing schedules to meet, the way the group works isn't ideal for any of us anymore. I'm not sure it will continue in this form in 2018 or not. The group is also sorely missing one of the founding members who has been struggling with health issues in the second half of the year. She was always the most reliable and generous reviewer and updater, and without her, it's just not the same.
And as always, I will aim to be fitter and healthier. I have had a great start to 2017 in that respect, but I know that once I’m back at work and the kids are clamouring for dinner as soon as I walk in the door, going to the gym will end up being a weekend-only thing again. I will try to go at least one time during the week as well, and will continue to go walking during my lunchbreak as well.
I'm not doing too badly here. The new house is further from the supermarket than the old one, so I get some extra walking in that way, and the gym is further away too, so I have to ride my bike to get there. I'm probably not getting quite as much exercise as I should, but I'm not too far off.
And as always, I will aim to be fitter and healthier. I have had a great start to 2017 in that respect, but I know that once I’m back at work and the kids are clamouring for dinner as soon as I walk in the door, going to the gym will end up being a weekend-only thing again. I will try to go at least one time during the week as well, and will continue to go walking during my lunchbreak as well.
I'm not doing too badly here. The new house is further from the supermarket than the old one, so I get some extra walking in that way, and the gym is further away too, so I have to ride my bike to get there. I'm probably not getting quite as much exercise as I should, but I'm not too far off.
Having been to the gym five times this week, I'm feeling very virtuous. But once work starts up again, and the crazy hours start creeping in, I'm sure I'll be back to my one-day-a-week schedule. Although I'm determined to make myself go in my lunchbreak at least two days a week.
Both the boys have important years at school ahead of them, so I need to be more involved with both their schoolwork this year. It’s difficult because neither of them want me looking at their stuff, but I need to keep on top of what they are doing, so I will make sure I check in on their schoolwork at least once a week, if not more.
Working on it. Neither of them really want me checking in on them, but I do my best to stay involved and talk to them about what they are doing and learning.
Both the boys have important years at school ahead of them, so I need to be more involved with both their schoolwork this year. It’s difficult because neither of them want me looking at their stuff, but I need to keep on top of what they are doing, so I will make sure I check in on their schoolwork at least once a week, if not more.
Working on it. Neither of them really want me checking in on them, but I do my best to stay involved and talk to them about what they are doing and learning.
Both of them finished at their schools this year and will be moving on in 2018, one to intermediate and the other high school (surely I'm not old enough to have a son in high school) and are looking forward to it. They've both done reasonably well, although I can't help thinking a little more hard work from both of them would have given them better results. We shall see how things go in their new schools. I have a feeling both are going to get a little bit of a shock at what is expected of them...
And that’s about it for 2017. I will pop back in June or early July to see how I’m tracking with these, and again at the end of the year…
That's what this is! And boy have I failed in a spectacular fashion. But I'm not unhappy about it. Life likes to chuck a few curve-balls, and this year seems to be my turn to face them. Fingers crossed the work I'm doing will be worthwhile and progress my career in some way.
And that’s about it for 2017. I will pop back in June or early July to see how I’m tracking with these, and again at the end of the year…
That's what this is! And boy have I failed in a spectacular fashion. But I'm not unhappy about it. Life likes to chuck a few curve-balls, and this year seems to be my turn to face them. Fingers crossed the work I'm doing will be worthwhile and progress my career in some way.
Well, I'm pretty philisophical about these goals. They seemed like a good idea when I wrote them, but things change. And while I didn't do everything I thought I wanted to do, I have published two books this year and both have been getting a pretty good response. Reviews are good, even if sales appear to be a little light. I haven't recieved my royalty statmements for the fourth quarter yet, so it will be interesting when that shows up and I can see how many copies of An Unstill Life actually have sold. I'm pretty sure it's more than what Novel Rank is showing me...
Here's looking at 2018 and setting some new, possibly more realistic goals.
Happy New Year y'all!
