Ahnold
I wish I had a more complicated plan than what I’m about to write. Many authors have declared that they are going to reach various milestones. I’m still working on getting back to a level of stability, so I don’t feel like I can reach that far. Heck, I’m not even doing this on January 1st, which shows I’m struggling to retain some sense of order in the author side of my life.
By the way, that’s really what this post is going to be about. My personal and day job life are going to be worked on throughout the year, but I can’t share a lot of that here. I need to keep them separate because others involved request privacy. So, I’ll talk a bit about it, but not in any detail. Anyway, what are my goals for 2019?
- Publish War of Nytefall: Rivalry in March/April. This is the easiest goal because the book is ready to go. Just need all the small parts. I don’t know if I’ll get much help with promoting since I feel like not releasing a book in December hurt my progress . . . Not that I had any since my semi-retirement announcement. Still, I’m always happy for any help that is offered.
- Write, edit, and publish War of Nytefall: Eradication. This will be a later year publication if I can pull it off. I’m dropping from 4 to 2 releases since I can’t put in the time. This is still optimistic since I need the time to write and edit. Only release I might be able to pull it off is because Rivalry is already written and edited. I might have to drop to 1 a year.
- Continue maintaining my blog. I’m more focused on this than other social media sites. In fact, I don’t seem to get anything from places like Facebook and Twitter. I’ll have a tweet get over 100 retweets, but no sales. Facebook is just a ghost town for me. Is social media even worth it if you’re not spending hours a day on each site?
- Gradually put together The Longbow of Ichabod Brooks. This is a long shot since I need to focus more on War of Nytefall, but I can always add a little to his story when time permits. Unlike the big novels, I can take longer breaks while working on the short stories.
- Finish outlining and planning the Sin stories. Might even figure out an overall series title for him. Adventures of Sin is too close to Sinbad. Although, the two might have more in common than I realize. Tales of Sin? The Soulless King Series? Children of the Crimson Haze? That last one is a bit too long and I do think I should focus it on Sin, who is a character with a strange quirk. Sin of the Dead? Considering the overarching story is that a contest to ascend a new God of Death has begun and Sin is an unwitting contestant, that might work.
That’s really it. Seems more than it really is, but I’m still fighting a massive blow to my confidence. Not having much support on this side of the computer makes it hard to accept the support I get on here. That’s something else I need to fix this year. I want to be able to shrug off the naysayers who seem to be unhappy regardless of what I do. They’ve made me feel guilty about going near my books while saying they never intended to do me that much harm. Don’t get me wrong here. I love being involved in teaching because I feel like I’m helping kids and making a difference in their lives. Being able to do both would be great, so I really need to figure out a balance. Anyway, this post got longer than expected, so good luck to everyone in 2019.
Legends of Windemere 
🙂 Get some supportive friends -maybe a local writing group. Then you’ll have encouragement on both sides.
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I’ve tried the local writing group, but they’re about short stuff like articles and letters. Few times I went was odd because none of them were into fantasy. I do have some supportive friends, but none that are willing to be beta readers.
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True. Maybe I’ll try again when things settle. Last time a member tried talking me out of publishing, so I haven’t been rushing to go back.
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Glad to see your goals. Rooting for you!
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Thanks.
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Good luck with everything and happy new year. 🙂
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Thanks. Happy New Year!
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Your goals make mine look weak in comparison. You go, Charles.
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I aim higher than I tend to reach.
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Still. Pretty formadable.
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All the best in 2019! The balance will come and the writing will offset the other stress life throws at us. xo
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Thanks. Good luck this year.
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Best of luck, Charles!
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Thanks
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I wish confidence was a physical thing, I would send you a parcel of it. People have been trying to put me down for most of my life, but not quite managed it yet. The reason, I believe, is because I cannot believe what they say. I have to see it for myself and I am quite pleased with most of my progress…
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2018 was brutal to the point where parts of me broke. Might take a while to recover. Thankfully the job helps.
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We are all rooting for you, Charles. I hope that helps too…
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That balance is there, but it might take time to find the sweet spot. They sound like reasonable goals to me.
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Thanks. I have wondered if I’ll recognize the sweet spot too. People around me are trying to make sure I don’t have much time by myself to think, which can get in the way when I feel like writing. They mean well though.
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That’s kind of nice in a way. I understand where you’re coming from. I may not get a private day for writing the rest of this month. My wife’s schedule is nearly identical to mine.
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I’ve decided that I’ll schedule future blog posts if I have nights or days where I don’t have time to do book writing. That keeps the blog going and can open up more time for me in the future.
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Sounds feasible.
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When you’re feeling down, every bit of advice sounds like a cliché. In the end, though, you’re the only one who gets to choose the way your story (real or fictional) plays out.
Give no mind to other people’s opinions—when you do, you give your power to them. Why would you do that?
And feelings—well, they are only feelings. Separate them from yourself. *You* are not sad. You *feel* sad. Feeling sad is transitory.
Sally forth, Charles. If you were the hero in your book, you certainly would. Why should real life be any different? Write your own hero’s journey. After all, shouldn’t you be the hero of your own life?
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Thanks. Though, there is a trend of stories where the hero fails in the end. That feels like the kind of story I’m in right now. A lot of stuff fell apart in 2018 regardless of what I did and even without me being aware until it was too late.
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Happy New Year and Good Luck Charles.
Hugs
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Happy New Year to you too!
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It doesn’t matter how many goals you have compared to other authors. Actually, comparing yourself to others all the time is likely at least part of the reason you’re struggling to shrug off the negative comments. Yes, some people have more goals. But you have to set your goals according to what’s achieveable for you, and you have to base that on your own circumstances. Try not to be so hard on yourself. Do your best, and let that be enough.
Good luck with your goals, and happy Nnew year!
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Thanks. Although, I really should point out that there’s a lot behind the negative comments right now. Unfortunately, it’s a situation I can’t go into in public, which is at the core of what’s going on. That’s one reason it’s hard to fully explain to people why I’m as down as I am.
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Fair enough. Although, that’s sort of my point. Don’t beat yourself up for having things going on, and don’t compare yourself to others who are doing more than you, because your situation isn’t theirs, and comparing yourself to them will only make you feel worse.
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Going to try. Though, I am running into more people in my situation than I expected. Seems they’re handling it better than me too.
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Your life took so many turns in 2018, though. “Getting back to a level of stability” is actually an important and very reasonable goal for you. Writing can be part of you reclaiming your life and rebuilding who you are, but I hope the goals don’t become another way for you to blame and shame yourself.
Wishing you the best, Charles.
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Thanks. Guess we’ll see what happens.
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It’s really useful to shed those that bring you negativity. As I’ve reached a certain age, I don’t want to cloud the years I have left with those that bring me down. It’s cathartic. I had a roller coaster year in 2018 and I’ve survived and learned from it.
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Thanks. Good advice.
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You’re welcome.
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