Photo by Karla Alexander on Unsplash
As I wrote a few weeks back, one of the main advantages of having a blog is the ability to set yourself yearly goals and then look back and judge yourself against them. It’s also one of the worst things about having a blog, so you have to make sure that the goals are reasonable, and achievable by you. For instance, there’s no point in my putting the goal of not being boiled alive in a nuclear strike. As much as that is very much a goal of mine, I have no real input as to whether Donald Trump is going to get his spelling wrong and target Cirencester rather than China. Let’s face it, that’s not entirely out of the realms of possibility.
So, realistic goals achievable by me. Well, let’s start with…
Writing Goals.
Release three books. This year I should be able to release not one, but two books in the Sunset Chronicles, as well as a collection of short stories. That will be roughly a quarter of a million words published. Phew!
Write two new books. All the books I’ll be releasing next year are already at draft stage, so while I’ll be working on them, I’ll also be writing first drafts of two entirely new books, from an entirely new series. I don’t want to give too much away yet, but it’s a genre I’ve always wanted to write in, and a story that’s been kicking around my head for years. I’m quite excited to get to it.
Build, build, build. Last year I set myself the target to break even, but that was a silly idea, like opening up a shop and deciding you’re only going to buy inventory for the first two years. Running a business, even a creative one, takes investment, and I’ll be continuing to invest in this business to help it grow. Now, if one of the books takes off, great, but I’m not counting on immediate success. And anything that comes in will be used to reinvest. I’m lucky to be in a position to do that. That being said, I’m hoping for a good solid increase in readers.
Find my tribe. I’ll be writing more about this in the new year, but I really want to find some people to be in a writing partnership with. I have some really exciting ideas around publishing in the modern age, and really want to follow in the footsteps of pioneers like the Hawk and Cleaver guys, but I need to find the right people first.
Personal goals
Health. Yadda yadda yadda. Same as every year. I do need to lose weight, and I fully intend to. I will, I will, I will. I’ve recently moved to one of those flexitarian lifestyles you hear the kids talking about these days, but seem to have forgotten that just eating cheese by the gallon won’t make you thin.
Buy a house. This might be subject to Brexit and all that, but that’s definitely top of the list this year. I’ve only put it at number two because I know I really need to lose weight.
Explore our new home. We’ve been down in the south for a few months now, and we love it, so far. But there’s so much to do and explore that at the moment, it’s a bit daunting. Couple that with the fact that we’ve spent so much time and effort getting the kids settled in and making friends, we’ve not really had much time to do the same for ourselves. I want this place to be home, and it’s not, yet.
So there you go. I’ll just leave this here for now, and then come back at the end of the year, see what’s what.
Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining my mailing list or read along at Wattpad. Oh, and I’ve got a Patreon.
