Year in Review - 2011 Resolutions Recap

To those of you who read Monday's blog, and then looked for serial chapters...well, it's been a long week at the day job, which uses up more of my brainpower than it really should. Every day I wanted to write, and I managed a few nights, but not anywhere near what I would have liked. Next week should be back to normal. I hope.

Anyways, today I'm looking at last year's resolutions, and thinking about which direction I want to head in 2012. For now, let's peek at my 2011 list:

Writing

  • At least 500-800 words per day, six days per week.

  • Complete & publish two more romantic suspense books.

  • Complete my first thriller/suspense novel and prepare to publish in early January 2012.

  • Complete several (3-5) erotic short stories and publish both individually and as a collection.

  • Read The Novel Writer's Toolkit by Bob Mayer for craft study.

  • Write ahead on my serial novels as much as possible, and stay ahead until at least next fall.


I did pretty well with these, at least until this fall. Even with all the craziness though, I did meet my writing goals at least 5 days most weeks, I published two romantic suspense novels, I published my first thriller/suspense novella (I write 'em whatever length they need to be), and I published 4 erotic novelettes (and am nearly done with a 5th - a few of 'em just went longer than expected). I didn't exactly stay ahead of my serial stories (or even write ahead, and I fell behind several times last fall), but even so, I have two more romantic suspense stories and another thriller story in progress for publishing next year. That's a pretty good writing year, IMO. 

The only thing I didn't do was read the craft book I planned to - or any craft books. Mostly because I was reading other things (fiction). And writing a lot. Still, even though I learn more about writing with everything I write, I know it's still a good idea to at least look through craft books and experiment with new methods and techniques, so that will still be on next year's list. 

Business

  • Continue to grow the Brazen Snake Books name via new titles

  • Explore the possibilities of a publishing collaboration with a few select authors

  • Build up a library of resources on the site for all writers to refer to and use.


I managed the first two on this list - a little too well in some aspects, as it took a lot more time than I'd originally planned for it to. Which is why the last one never quite got done...and probably won't. More on the business goals tomorrow...


Personal

  • Listen to music more. It's one of the only things that quiets (or drowns out) my racing mind, and I think more of those breaks will be beneficial to all aspects of my life.

  • Read 85 books, as I committed to on Dolly's yearly reading challenge .

  • Take better care of my eyes, my feet and my teeth. All chronic issues that can be kept from getting worse with a little daily attention.

  • Re-establish and follow healthier habits as far as working out and eating go.


  • Go easier on myself when stuff doesn't get done around the house, when blog posts are late, etc. I can only do so much, and I need to remember that and allow for it.

These were kind of on again, off again, but overall, I think I did pretty well. I bought a Zune (shortly before they discontinued them, but I *adore* it), and now listen to tunes in the shower every morning and while I'm working in the kitchen on weekends. On the occasional night I find myself with a few extra minutes online, I listen to samples and have downloaded several singles & albums this year. So I'm on it as far as music goes. One of my current WIPs was even inspired by a musician...

I didn't make 85 books read this year - more like 55 (or 57 now, I guess, since I last counted). A little over one per week though, so still not bad considering I'm at the day job or writing most of my waking hours. Next year, I'll just stick with a goal of 55. Anything over that will be a bonus. 

I've been slowly-but-surely getting my teeth put back together again (quite literally, in some cases). This year I've had numerous fillings and a few root canals, and according to the dentist, I have two more fillings, two more root canals and seven or eight crowns yet to come. But I have been diligently getting work done every month, so that's good. I'll continue that next year. I've been taking better care of my teeth at home too - oddly, I find that brushing my teeth before my nightly writing sessions wakes me up. Kind of ruins the whole tea thing though...

My poor feet, eyes and cuticles are suffering though - so they need to move up the priority list next year. 

I have established better eating and workout habits, and I even managed to lose and keep off 4 pounds - which doesn't sound like much, but it's something, and that's with taking several months off for fall craziness. So that's good too. 

I'm still not very good about going easy on myself - in fact, I really want to take better care of house and home, and I also really want to be more organized with my blogging and online time. Lately the day job has been sucking up all available mental space, so I'm kind of a vegetable when I get home these days, but that's just more of a reason to be *organized* with things like this, in my opinion. 

All in all, I'd say I did well with last year's list. I always keep my resolutions to things I have control over, and that tends to serve me very well. Tomorrow I'll post my resolutions for 2012, and while you're waiting, you should go read Dean Wesley Smith's blog this week. He not only spells out the difference between goals & dreams, but he also lays out an excellent technique for writers to figure out what a good basic daily writing goal would be. Read all of this week's posts (and as many as you can going back as well) - they're fabulous! 

How did you do with your goals/resolutions last year? 

Enjoy this post? Support your author:  Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench  | In a Dark Place

**Please note - comments take a few moments to appear. Refresh the page to view new comments. If this is your first time posting, your comment will be moderated.


Posted by Jamie D. at December 31, 2011
Categories: Life, Administrative, Construction Zone, Goals
Tags: organization people
Previous Post
Next Post

 
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this post
  • No trackbacks exist for this post.
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
Page: 1 of 1
  • December 31, 2011 Ardee-ann Eichelmann wrote:
    I don't make resolutions and my goals every year are to muddle through as best I can. That may not sound very ambitious but it my shoes it is extremely ambitious. I find that my other goal in life is to be supportive of others. I find that to be a natural talent of mine. I like doing it. Cheers, Ardee-ann
    Reply to this
  • December 31, 2011 Carol wrote:
    I played it smart, I didn't make a lot of goals/resolutions for last year.

    I think my big goal was to "do better", which I think I did.

    I love Dean Wesley Smith's blog and I hope he has his Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing available in e-format soon!
    Reply to this

Page: 1 of 1
Leave a comment

Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.