Are You Having Happy Holidays?
Well, happy holidays from me!
So thanks to the fine folks at Canva, there’s a great holiday image and I’ve got to say I really love it.
Plus I was getting a little tired of reusing the older holiday post. Hence here’s something new which I hope will be a lot more timeless.
Reflections
Because the year is drawing to a close, I get a bit pensive. So I often wonder if the year worked out all right. Did I accomplish everything I had wanted to? What were my obstacles? And how did I try to overcome them? That is, if I tried to at all …
In addition, this is when I start to look forward to the following year. Some of this is in terms of resolutions. And some of this is in terms of goal making. Because I am working on becoming a more regular writer, many of these goals center around writing.
But also around its ancillary activities. Because editing, proofreading, beta reading (both for me, and for me to do for others), and promotions are also important.
A writer, if they are at all serious, will have to do all of these things. And by the way, that is even true of big time famous authors. They have to accept editing. And they have to promote their works. Plus we all need to work on our craft. None of us are perfect.
So without further ado, here are some possible goals for next year.
And some reflection on how things have gone. Yeah, it’s been a few years since I did this.
Next Year’s Goals (More or Less) Beyond the Holidays
Goals come in a few flavors.
Writing Goals
So in 2018, one great goal worked out beautifully. It was to write every day, every other month. Now, sometimes that was a bit difficult to do. There were some days when I just plain didn’t want to write something on top of everything else. But the discipline, I feel, was good for me. So that’s one goal.
Dovetailing with this goal was writing short works during the off months. This I did a lot of although not enough. It came in mighty handy during my most tired days to already have a draft, and just need to polish and type it. Hence I need to do that more.
And in the past few years, writing has been sporadic at best.
For 2023, I would definitely love to write more. I feel most centered when I do. But I also need to work on this website. So, at least some original fiction writing will take a back seat.
Promotional Goals
Another goal from 2018 was to use the off months to promote. This one did not work out quite so well. Life was busy and I was tired. And I was suffering from some wicked imposter syndrome on top of everything else. Hence I will need to work harder to promote. Fortunately, this blog is a part of my promotional efforts.
In the past few years, I didn’t promote much at all. However, I have updated this blog for speed, readability, and SEO. All of these help.
For 2023, yes, I should promote more. But I honestly have no idea if I will have any real bandwidth for it.
However, I have also gotten better at that. So, there’s something.
Publishing Goals
Yet another goal from 2018 was to query my unpublished works. And again, my adherence to that goal was kind of spotty. So I will need to do better in that area. It may help to get the whole process more organized. And I have been trying to do just that. In addition, I need to know when to throw in the towel and instead pull the trigger on self-publishing.
For some works, that might be the best or even the only place to get them out there.
There is also the possibility of putting some of my shorter works up as free downloads here. For semi-throwaway works which do not tie to other, bigger works, that could be a good use for them.
A related goal is to really learn as much about self-publishing as I can, from the top down. This also ties in with promotions, to understand how to best promote my work and get it in front of the biggest audiences. It might be in the form of giveaways, swag, conferences, conventions, or something else.
For the past few years, the same has been true: a spotty record of querying, and little to no time to learn about the craft. I’ve joined FB groups to get better. But, alas, I also don’t really have the time to read them, either.
For 2023, I know I should do better. Heh. We’ll see.
Community Goals
Finally, writing is a community and that means we need to have each others’ backs. While Facebook has splintered badly in that area,
Twitter is still a good place. Following and participating in author hashtags like #AuthorConfession or #OneLineWed already help.
It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve got over 1,000 Twitter followers. That is a tipping point in Twitter, I’ve noticed. In general, an account starts to get people following for the sake of following.
However, one thing I need to work on is if I can shunt some of the accounts I’m following to lists instead, and then unfollow. Because if the number of people I’m following stays below the number of people who are following me, it should help to bolster my influence.
For the past few years, I have actually been doing this! Yay and go me!
Holidays or no, in 2023, of course, I need to do more of the same. And since Twitter is still in the throes of a slow-motion meltdown, it would behoove me to expand to other parts of the community.
BookTok? Instagram? Substack? Egad, I am getting a headache just thinking about even half of all that.
Takeaways for The Holidays and Beyond
I realize this was a bit of a heavy topic for the holidays. Are you looking forward to next year? Are you planning, or just winging it? Do tell. And, by the way, if you can’t make every single goal you set for yourself, don’t worry. Don’t be hard on yourself. There’s always the next year.
Have fun during the holidays! And maybe get offline a little….