Reflections 2020

I don’t know about any of you, but looking back on this year only makes me want to scream in horror. Does anyone even remember the beginning of it, how naïve and hopeful we were? Maybe not. It was five centuries ago.
 
I don’t even remember what I was supposed to be doing this year…
 
Resolutions 2020
1. Get WIP-1 ready to be published.
As far as I can tell, it’s as good is as it’s going to get. I’m not sure if it’s good enough, though.
 
2. Finish editing WIP-2 to get it ready for beta reading.
Wow, I did this, I even got the beta reading underway. That’s actually kind of impressive. It almost makes up for me not doing the next goal.
 
3. Finish editing the other WIP that kind of got pushed aside after I decided to write WIP-2.
I did some work on it, but unfortunately, it kept getting pushed aside. It’s not going anywhere, though.
 
4. Write the two short side stories I have planned, and edit everything.
Did not do this, mostly because I was working on other goals. And yet another new project.
 
5. Maybe write the sequel to the other WIP. I don’t know, I’ll have to see if I have the time.
I did consider this, but I ended up starting a completely new project instead. Of course.
 
6. Work on my health and hopefully get better.
Kind of a mixed bag, really. This year was… well, you know.
 
7. Not back down when I know what’s right. Ever.
And I haven’t. Then again, I haven’t been leaving the house much what with the whole deadly plague that’s caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people.
 
Ugh, 2020. UGHHHHHHHHH. Go jump in a lake. No one will miss you.
 
Anything you want to share that was good about this year? You know, if that’s possible.

Reflections 2016

You know what? I don’t want to reflect on 2016. It was terrible. Like, beyond awful. Like, someone waking you up in the middle of the night by smacking you in the head with a hammer. No, wait. That’s not painful enough.

Ugh, this year can go and die.

Resolutions

1. Hopefully carve out time to write a new book!

Well, I started one. It’s only a fourth of the way done, but it’s better than nothing.

2. Keep updating the blog three times a week. I know this seems like an easy one since I’ve been doing that for years, but sometimes it seems like I’m out of time. So no matter what, keep blogging!

I did miss a week once. Because 2016 is just like being thrown off a cliff into a lake of boiling water.

3. Try to finish the horror story I started writing last year. Hopefully I can find the time!

I didn’t do this, because I couldn’t find the motivation to do it. If I don’t have fun writing it, I can’t imagine someone having fun reading it, so it’s probably for the best.

4. Maybe start a progress bar for my goals so I can see how far I’m getting.

Wow, I just straight up didn’t do this. I didn’t even remember it was a goal. Whoops?

5. Do the A-to-Z Challenge again! Which means I better get started on those posts.

Another success. It was definitely one of the more fun parts of the year.

6. Win a hundred million dollars in the lottery so I can just write for the rest of my life. This one might be tough.

I’m really mad that I didn’t make this goal. It’s totally unfair.

7. Read more. Just ‘cause why not?

Yes, I did. It was fun. I do wish that it was even more!

So that was 2016. It was way worse than the pretty font color I picked would indicate. It was like having your skin removed and replaced with a concentrated acid.

Ugh.

Reflections 2013

Oh, man, did 2013 fly by or did it fly by? Have I finally gotten to the point where I’m so old that I’m no longer complaining about how long it takes for something to happen but instead I’m wondering why it’s already Christmas when I was just complaining about how hot this summer was yesterday? Ahhhhhhh!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. Calming down now. Man, I don’t even remember what my resolutions were for last year. Which probably isn’t a good sign…

1. Get COLLAPSE to the point where it’s ready for beta reading.

            I certainly think I’ll be able to do this. I have a system for how I go about edits and I don’t have any trouble getting to the point where it needs outside opinions.

            Hey, I did this! And I got some beta reading actually done! That’s a bonus, right?

2. Find more beta readers.

            As I mentioned in my Reflections post, I haven’t had much luck with finding a long term crit partner/beta reader : (. I’d certainly like to find some new ones, not only for COLLAPSE when it’s ready but for GLITCH (I won’t give up on it!).

            And this! Plus they all actually read the book instead of disappearing after giving me their thoughts on the first chapter! Special thanks to Nick, MJ, and Julie for helping me achieve this goal.

3. Rewrite A SAFE PLACE IN HELL.

            This won’t be just a revision, but a full on rewrite. I started on this book back before I got involved in social media and I honestly think it lacks a lot of the finesse I picked up from suggestions by my fabulous blogging buddies. However! I will not do this until both GLITCH and COLLAPSE are at the point where nothing more can be done. If I fail this resolution, it better be because I’ve finished the above two.

            Nope. I did get about a third of the way through it and I have a very good plan of what will happen next. I got distracted by a shiny new project, and hey. I did get very close to the fabled “done” in GLITCH and COLLAPSE.

4. Start posting my writing goals.

            I think this will help keep me honest. On the first Tuesday of the month, I’m going to post what I want to accomplish and how far I’ve come (basically these resolutions/reflections posts on a monthly basis). Also, I’m going to keep the list posted on my sidebar with progress reports. The guilt should definitely keep me going.

            As I’m sure you all know, I did this. : D

5. Start up a Tumblr.

            You heard that right! More details later.

            Totes! It’s totally not very popular, but I still like finding spam and laughing at it, even if no one else is paying attention.

6. Start my own utopian society.

            Well, I’m starting a bunch of other things.

            No. I kind of got busy with all my writing. Plus starting a society is harder than it looks.

7. Never give up on my books!

            Namely, the above three that I mentioned. I will edit them, I will send them out to beta readers, I will hunt down and capture said beta readers, etc. It might seem redundant to have this here, but I need the extra reminder.

            BAM! Nevar! Yes I spelled that wrong on purpose! Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Surprisingly, I didn’t do that bad. I think I’d be more impressed if I bit the bullet and started querying for COLLAPSE, though. Ugh, querying…

How’d you guys do with your goals this year, both writing and otherwise?