Review of Writing Goals
This week on the blog, I thought I’d have a look at my goals! It’s almost at the end of 2021 (this year seems to have both sped by and lasted forever). So I thought it would be good to check with the goals I set at the end of the year. Here were my goals for 2021:
1. Proofread my 3rd historical fiction novel and get it ready for submission
I’m so excited to say I hit this goal! I did a final proofread between Jan and March, then submitted it to my publishers on March 31st. They accepted in May and I know they’ve been working hard on the manuscript. I got my first couple of glimpses of the front cover! I’m expecting to have a look at the possible amendments they’ve made for me to check through in the new year. Watch this space! For now, here’s a flavour:
The war with looms closer than ever. Celtic warrior Daniel visits the capital kingdom of Rheged, only to discover scandal within court and the enemy King Morgant is on the move. Then, someone close to Daniel is kidnapped. Can Daniel team up with a former ally? Will he find the one taken from him? Can he return home before Rheged’s final reckoning is at hand?
Interested in my first historical fiction novel, The Boy from the Snow? Head here to claim your free preview by signing up to my newsletter!
2. Outline and write the 1st draft of my 4th historical fiction novel
Only yesterday, I finished a scene and officially finished the first draft! There’s still lots of work to be done and things I want to rewrite, but I’m excited to have the story written with a final word count of 92k. There will be plenty of time for developmental edits and rewrites in the new year!
I have to admit that I got into a bit of a writing rut during the resolution stage (head here for my recent blog post talking about resolution), but overall, I really enjoyed writing this story. It’s set about 15 years later after the 3rd novel. It’s split POV between Daniel, my main character from the first 3 books and a Celtic princess, Imogen. Here’s a flavour:
A kingdom rising from the ashes after war. A Celtic princess longing to feel more connected to her people. The prophecy that says she will be the one to bring hope and peace to the kingdom of Rheged.
Can Imogen form an alliance with two exiled princes, longing to return to their homeland? Will Daniel still believe in her, after secrets from her past send her far away? Can Imogen return in time to save her people?
3. NaNoWriMo Goals this year
My main goal for this was participating in NaNoWriMo 2021. I wrote a historical mystery romance and really enjoyed the project. (Head here for more info and to see how I got on.) I also participated in Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July. In April I had a go at rewriting a project from last year, originally a paranormal mystery, more as a contemporary under mystery. I almost hit the goal but didn’t quite make it (12,450 out of 15k) as I ended up running out of steam with the project a bit. It happens sometimes! 🙂
4. Have a look at old NaNoWriMo projects
My next set of goals involved looking at old NaNoWriMo projects. In January and February I edited IRIS, the science fiction project I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2020. Then for July Camp NaNoWriMo this year I edited a YA historical fantasy I wrote a couple of years ago. I enjoyed working on both projects and I’m thinking of potential next steps for them.
5. Blog and newsletter goals
My next goal was to keep up a regular routine of blog and newsletters. Well, for this year, I’ve written a blog posts Mondays or Tuesdays. This is my 46th blog post this year! It’s been great to write so many, on different topics like book reviews, the writing craft, the world and setting of my novels, author updates and short fiction.
With my newsletters, I’ve sent out 17 emails this year (18 once I do December’s this Saturday). I’ve also added a ‘Newsletter Extra’, so subscribes receive to emails a month. It’s been great to get connect with other authors and club together for some great deals on books. Lastly, at the moment I’m sharing a Christmas short story as a freebie for subscribers which is going quite well at the moment.
6. Reading goals
I set myself a goal of getting back into reading, with a target of 12 books for the year. Well, I’ve read double that with 24 books read in 2021 – 25 if I finish my current read before the end of the year! It’s been a joy to read so many brilliant indie books this year, many of which I’ve received on my blog. Mot have been historical fiction or fantasy, with a few contemporary reads thrown in.
If you’d like to see what I’ve been reading, you can head to my Indie bookshelf, a feature I added to my website this year. I list the indie books i’ve been reading, including links t Amazon and any blog reviews I’ve done.
Thanks for Reading!
So, those were my goals for 2021! I’m excited to say I hit all of them. That’s not to say this year has been without any struggles. Being a writer can be an isolating experience and it can feel disillusioning at times. Shout out here to my wonderful writing group who have offered amazing accountability and support. Also the #FriSalon community on Twitter has been so positive and encouraging.
I know I have a long way to go and I’m ironing out kinks, especially when it comes to marketing. However, it’s been great to look back to see the goals I hit.
How did you do on your goals? Whatever stage of the process you’re at, whether you wrote 50k, 500 or 500 new words – you’re a winner for staking those steps forward.
You can head here to check out my other blog posts, my published books or more about me as an author.
I’d love to connect with you! Feel free to hit the social media icons or drop a comment below, or head to my contact me page to get in touch.
Till next time – see you in 2022!
Maria 🙂