Just like everyone else this time of year, I’m setting my resolutions for 2020. It’s not enough to have dreams: to make them a reality, you have to have a plan. I’ve broken out categories that make sense to me.
Books
My top goal for writing this year is to match last year’s output: 4 books for 2020. I think this is achievable: the first book (Bonds of Iron) is two-thirds written, and what remains is completing the book, then all the editing/beta/formatting/marketing. I also have a concept for a cover but nothing mocked up.
I also have solid plots for the next 3 books in the series, a sequel to Dark Empire that I really need to finish (60,000+ words in!), a new series that I have in mind, and several standalone novels I’d love to write.
Of course, actually advertising these books effectively so they bring in some income is also a pretty important component of this goal. I’m investigating AMS ads as my next step.
Blog
I’m on track to write two blog posts a month. If I can do this consistently with content that I find really interesting (and hopefully you do, too!) I’ll look at increasing the frequency.
First up is a series in advance of Valentine’s Day… Stay tuned.
Newsletter
I need a new approach to writing newsletters…and I need to send them out with some regularity, too—at least monthly, but that doesn’t really help people know who is actually sending them a newsletter. If I can generate some good free content that I can give away to subscribers, that would give me a focal point for adding value to people’s inboxes. I’m going to focus on this goal starting in the second half of the year.
Personal
What would a New Year’s resolutions list be without some fitness goals? I’ve got a few inches left to lose. I’m already on Day 6 of a new 30-day HIIT/body weight challenge, and I’ve been working out consistently since I left my corporate job. I’m trying to remember that pounds matter less than inches, but getting on a scale is my default response to monitoring my fitness. I’ve got a pretty good collection of workout videos that I’m pretty good about following, and of course there’s a great variety always available on YouTube.
I don’t usually bother with resolutions for things that I already do that are habits: personal reading (follow my personal Goodreads challenge!), my language lessons (befriend me on DuoLingo!), or things I do just for fun, like drawing.
So why share my 2020 resolutions here? Accountability begins with writing down the goals and sharing them here on the blog. I’ll check in quarterly with progress updates.