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Wednesday 1 January 2014

2014 New Year Plan!

Happy 2014, readers! Here's hoping for a fantastic year of reading and writing. :)

Because I'm an obsessive list-maker, I've decided to take a look back at my resolutions for 2013, and look ahead at the coming year!

My 2013 resolutions were to:

  • Find a home for Darkness Watching (I did, yay! :D)
  • Prepare for the publication of my first novel, The Puppet Spell (I did that, too!)
  • Work on the sequel (that fell through...)
  • Make a post-graduation plan (kind of did that)
  • ...and believe in myself. Well, I'm still learning to do that, but I'm further ahead than I used to be!
I actually achieved a lot more than that - I drafted 5 books, edited 6 (most more than once, with feedback from beta readers, publishers etc), published 2 and entered my first writing contest. Wow!

This year, I'm going to be a bit more specific! I've made a list of general goals on this awesome site, so I'm picking out a few...
  • Draft at least 3 books. (This depends on edits on my other books!)
  • Fully edit and publish Walking Shadow (Darkworld #2) and hopefully Darkworld Book 3, as well. (This depends on the Emails of Doom currently messing with my sanity!)
  • Get Darkworld books 4 and 5 ready to send to publishers.
  • Decide on the publication path for Beneath the Waves.
  • Read 250+ books (trying to maintain my 2013 goal!)
  • Try not to stress out so much about not being able to plan ahead! (This is the bane of my existence. I'm an obsessive planner, but pretty much everything in my life is virtually impossible to plan ahead of time because it's always open to change. Publishing is a notoriously unpredictable business, so I'm trying to learn to be patient!)
  • Make a marketing action plan, and try not to get too obsessive about it! Mostly, I'm going to try to be more active - I tend to go through phases of trying to do ALL THE THINGS - comment on every blog, participate in every contest - and then suffer from being overwhelmed. So I'm going to try and be active and engaged in the online writing community without overdoing the social media and ending up despairing over random internet articles on the publishing industry and not being able to write.
  • Linked to the above: find balance! Specifically, between writing and non-writing-related things! Spend less time freaking out.
  • Do something challenging
  • Apply for new opportunities, and don't let fear hold me back!
  • Get a tattoo
  • Go travelling (depends on budget, but there a LOT of places I want to go!)
  • Go on a research trip (see above)
Mostly, I'm hoping for a year of adventure, surprises, and lots of WORDS.

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like you've got a lot of plans this year. Best of luck with everything, Emma!

    Also, 250 books?!?! Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayum. I thought 50 was ambitious ^^;

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  2. Emma, you are a writing MACHINE! Wow! And reading 250+ books?! I'm amazed and inspired. Great goals for 2014. I wish you all the luck!

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  3. Awesome. While you're trying out new marketing approaches, would you like to schedule a Writerly Wednesday feature? Let's chat, eh?

    250 books? You must read like a steam train. Seriously! I was lucky to get through 100.

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    1. That sounds fantastic! :) I'll send you an email.

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  4. Sounds like some great plants! I can't wait to see what you do this year!

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  5. I love your list! Hope you kick ass this year. :-D

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  6. Oh I love how you recapped your 2013 goals. Great idea.
    That is an aggressive 2014 list. You go, Emma! Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! :)

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  7. Wow! You did an awesome job on your 2013 goals! Congrats on all the great writing and achievements. :)

    2014 sounds like it will be busy- but tons of fun. I am an obsessive organizer and list maker- so I can relate to trying not to stress about the things you can't control.

    Wishing you a wonderful 2014 filled with good health, happiness, and LOTS of words!
    ~Jess

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