It’s that time of year… as we launch into a new year, it’s time to talk about my goals & objectives from 2024, and set some new ones for 2025.
For those who may be new here: I don’t do resolutions. Those are fluffy. Amorphous and difficult to quantify. I prefer to set proper goals & objectives that I can look at at the end of the year and see how I did.
Sometimes this works. Sometimes not so much.
So, we’ll begin by looking back at 2024.
For writing, I said I would…
Launch Kickstarter for Twinned trilogy with Duck Prints Press and complete fulfillment
This did not happen for a variety of reasons—some of them mine, some of them not mine. However, discussions DID happen, and a new plan has been set. The second book will be available for pre-order from the DPP site in February; we have some hopefully easy passes left to do for editing before it’s ready to go to print. We are working hard at getting the third book edited, and when it’s ready, we will launch the Kickstarter, currently scheduled for end of summer. At that point, the whole trilogy will be available (for those who don’t already have the first two books), plus some merch (yay, merch!).
Editing is HARD, folks, and my brain makes it harder on me than it should be I suspect. These books are also ridiculously long (like the trilogy together is ~500k), so each one takes a long time to get through. It’ll happen. Sometimes we just need to regroup, y’know?
Set up for self-publishing and publish Finding Their Roots.
Done! Well, mostly. FTR is available at ebook through wide distribution, and the hardcover is available on Amazon. I struggled with the PoD paperback from D2D and still need to get that fixed (it’s a Q1 goal right now). Are you interested in reading a fluffy romance about camping, hiking, magic, and amnesia, with a background werewolf pack? Here’s a page full of links where you can buy it.
Be more present on social media and blog regularly.
I was way better about this at the start of the year. Some days I blurt all over Mastodon/Bluesky/Facebook, and most days I’m quiet. I have some concrete ideas how to do better.
I did start using Buffer, which the free version allows me to post to three sites (see the three I just mentioned). I don’t really have the budget to pay to get cross-posting for other sites at this point, unfortunately. It would certainly make my life easier!
Work towards drafts of the next PHU (Run Together) and 7Lakes (Bound by Denial).
I did work towards them. I didn’t get very far. However, the overall planning is partly done, the outlines are partly done, and both have a few actual words written for them. So. I made progress.
I did learn that editing breaks my brain, and spent a lot of time at the end of the year figuring out how to get around that and be able to write and edit at the same time. Maybe. If I’m lucky.
Work on other original and fic when I could.
No fic happened; this is likely not a surprise. There are a lot of reasons for that, and it could fill a post, so I’m not going there right now.
However, I did completely rewrite a short story and then sold “A Bright and Clouded Future” to the Yay! All Queer anthology from Inkd Publishing. Yes, you can buy it. 🙂
For health & family I said I would…
Work out 2-3 times per week, continue with Wegovy/eating habits, and do more meal prep for myself and my parents.
Well. I managed the workouts; even when on vacation, we were very active and walked a LOT. I kept moving. I kept up with the Wegovy, but I’m plateaued and frustrated, which is to be expected. I am trying to stay healthy for eating, but when we only get to cook dinner a few times a week, it’s rough.
I didn’t supply as many meals to my parents as I would’ve liked.
Start planning ahead to retirement.
I’m on track. I’ve been making plans both at home and at work. And now I’m adding in the plans for well, what if I can’t retire when I want to? Because with the way things are going, it’s certainly possible that in four years there will be too much chaos. So. I will roll with the punches.
Be more present for found family and family.
I tried. I often felt like I was being pulled in so damned many directions. I am too busy and need to figure out ways to cut back, but that hasn’t been working out.
For consumption of media, I planned to…
Read 52 books. See 12 movies. See 12 shows.
Done, done, and done. I read 127 books & manga. Want to compare notes? I made a list challenge thingy, so you can see how many of these you’ve read (ever, not just in the last year). I watched 29 movies, mixed between in theater and streaming at home. I saw 13 plays, 1 comedy show, and 1 concert.
Did I mention I was busy? I was very busy.
So, that’s 2024 in review. I both feel like I didn’t get anywhere, and like I got a lot done, all at the same time.
I spent a large part of the latter half of 2024 in a funk, and I knew I needed to change how I was working and how I thought about things in order to move forward. So my planning for 2025 is a little different.
[Side point: do you know how hard it is to write a post when a cat insists that the only possible activity in this moment is petting her as she climbs on your chest? Yes, yes, I do know this… she’s napping and snoring now, so I can get back to the typing…]
For 2025, I have two sets of goals: habits and goals for the whole year, and quarterly more specific tasks set with the intent of achieving the goals for the year.
Goals for the whole year…
- write 100 words a day
- test “write before edit” approach
- pre-order/fulfill Missed Fortunes
- Kickstarter/fulfill Into the Split (plus others)
- set up photography business
- attempt to do in-person markets (photography, books)
- TKD 2-3 times per week
- walk/elliptical 10 times per month
- read 52 books
- see 12 movies
- see 12 plays/concerts/shows
That’s a lot. Some of it is exactly the same as last year. Some of it isn’t entirely under my control (the publication of MF & ITS).
You’ll notice “draft a new book” isn’t on that list. It isn’t NOT in my plans, but it’s not a concrete finite goal for the year, either. It’s a goal that will be adapted as I go. There are also a lot of household things not on the list, and some habits that I’m going to figure out what works over the course of the year (like “blog twice a month”—things like that).
I have some concrete goals for the first quarter, all of which are in support of other goals.
- Complete edits for Missed Fortunes and advertise/etc. for the February pre-order.
- Edit Into the Split through “chapter” (arc) 7.
- Outline the next PHU novel RT through chapter 15, and draft through chapter 5.
- Outline the next 7Lakes novel BBD through chapter 15, and draft through chapter 5.
- Fix the print edition of FTR so it is properly available via wide distribution PoD.
- Blog twice per month.
- Complete monthly newsletters.
- Edit photos and order materials (cards, etc.) for vending.
- Set up my business (for both publishing and photography) and taxes, etc.
- Swap the exercise and family rooms in my house.
- Deliver my eldest’s things in storage to her house (and out of mine!).
- Redesign my craft area (eldest is going to help).
I have trackers in my bullet journal to help me see what’s working, and what isn’t. That will help me plan for the second quarter. I’m hoping that taking this approach—relearning how I work once publishing is in the mix—will help me be more productive, and far healthier mentally, going forward.
This also means I’ll need to do check-ins at the start of each quarter to assess how I did, and set the new quarterly goals. So expect to see me again on this topic at the start of April.