Now for my writing goals!
Novel #1 - Revise and query. This is a paranormal romance I wrote at the end of 2011. I didn't like the ending I had scribbled down, and so it sat for a while until I was ready to come back to it. There are hot vampires and some unusual demons. I believe it has a great hook and will be highly marketable. Plus, it made me laugh and cry. That's a good sign.
Novel #2 - Revise and query. With a bit of POW! and a lot more ZAP!, I'll be marketing my superhero novel. I've been a comic book geek since I was a kid, but only recently have I started researching the genre by reading novels. Mine is very different from anything I've read. I hope that's a good thing!
Short stories - Write 6 / Submit 6 for the year. I would love to be able to do one every month, but with working on two novels, I won't have the time. I didn't have any acceptances the last half of 2013, and it depressed me. I was aiming high for an acceptance by a SFWA approved venue, though. I was short-listed a couple of times. That's closer than I've ever gotten before.
The A to Z Blogging Challenge - I've been going back and forth about it, but due to my time restrictions especially in April, I will not be participating in the Challenge this year on this blog. BUT I will be sharing the Challenge with my fellow Untethered Realms writers. We'll each have our days on the UR blog. I'm excited about it. I'm so honored to be a part of this talented group.
NaNoWriMo 2014 - I want to say yes. Let's make it a tentative yes. We'll have to see where I am with my novels in November. The novels have priority this year.
Balance writing, marketing, and home life - Home life comes first. No more grumpy mommy because she didn't get enough sleep. Writing comes in second. I wrote a lot last year, but I spent even more time marketing and networking. This year, I want to set weekly goals for writing. If I reach the goal, I can add extra time to networking, but only if I get my writing work done first. Balance is difficult for me, but I know it's vital to making me a happy person.
Don't forget to check out my post about sticking to your writing goals on the UR blog!
What are your writing goals for the year?
Seems like a decent and doable set of goals for you! Looking forward to your new novels!
ReplyDeleteSo it's going to be a productive year for you! And busy! :) Enjoy the year.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about the A to Z. Damn. I might have to skip it this year as well.
Good luck with your goals! I love the sound of both the novels you plan to focus on this year. (And yes, something being different from everything else you've read is definitely a good thing!) Balance is always such a tricky thing to figure out, so out of all your goals, I'm wishing you luck with that most of all!
ReplyDeleteEvery year I think about NaNo, get started and fail in the first week. I may give it a go again this year, we'll have to see.
ReplyDeleteBalancing family life and work life is a tricky business. Good luck with your 2014 goals!
Hi Christine .. good for you for having that clean slate to start the year off - makes life so much easier ...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a well thought out plan for the year .. I'll be doing the A-Z, but not NaNo ..
Enjoy the year - cheers Hilary
It can be so hard to balance everything that needs doing. I'm aiming for one week blogging and working on my novels, followed by a week that is sourly about the novels, so far it's going well :)
ReplyDeleteHi Christine, you sound so well organised!
ReplyDeleteYour goals sound realistic and achievable. Everything of the best for 2014!
Writer In Transit
Sounds like you've got some great goals. And I'm impressed with how productive you are.
ReplyDeleteI think balancing everything is the key. That's one of my goals too this year so I have more time for my writing.
It sounds as if you're well organized, and sensible to put family first and writing second. I'm really bad at marketing so I want to improve this year. However, I'll never manage to fit in loads of networking, and certainly not NaNo. You are amazing to fit all these things into your life.
ReplyDeleteI love the A-Z but had to skip it in 2013 due to time constraints. Not sure about this year. I want to participate, I think it just depends on how life shakes out.
ReplyDeleteYou have some great goals. I hope you are able to obtain everything you set your sights on. Best wishes for an AWESOME 2014!
ReplyDeleteThose look like great goals! I like what you said about balancing home life with writing and marketing. That's one of my goals for the year as well. The kids are only young once...
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Thank you all. I managed to get some writing done this morning, but now time to pick up the boy. He missed school. (And so did I!) Have a wonderful Monday!
ReplyDeleteYou will be busy polishing and querying!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the Challenge even though you won't be participating.
I'm going to try to balance things a bit more this year too. A bit more focus too.
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
Good luck with your goals! I know you can do it! And having balance in your life is a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteBalance is a tough one. It's something I struggle with, too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood list of goals - best of lucking cranking them out this year!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to do a group attack on A to Z. I like your goals. I'm determined to delve into short stories this year.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of balance! I'm trying for that too. And I love the idea of sharing A to Z! I'm not going to do that this year and I know I'll miss it, but I think I need a break from that to focus on writing and family life.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes in all that you do for 2014!!
Best of luck with your goals. Balance is the one thing that's hard to remember to do sometimes. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's great you've got such a good idea of where you want your writing to go this year. I hope you achieve the balance you need too, sometimes working at a slightly slower pace allows you to appreciate the fact you're writing!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteBalanced and realistic goals is the way forward in 2014. Your goals for this year certainly seem doable.
I like your priorities. As for the alphabet challenge, you might be surprised to know that neither my human or I will also not be involved. In our case, we ironically promote the darned thing.
Moving swiftly past the "Mork from Ork" challenge, 2014, I wish you the very best, no matter what you decide.
My writing goals are to make my human character, Gary, a little more realistic.
Pawsitive wishes,
Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)