A Look at 2018

Here we are, three days into 2018 and it hit me all at once- I haven’t made my “New Year’s Post”, highlighting all of the things I have in store for the upcoming trip around the sun. The funny thing is that I have been so invested in what I plan to do this year I have not stopped to jot it all down! To be honest, I hate these (it’s the lazy part of me resisting any sense of order or guidance). That particular part of my personality just wants to go with the flow and land wherever the wind takes me, but I’m trying really hard to change that and if 2017 is any indication, I have improved. I spent a huge portion of the last year attempting to write 2000 words a day and for the most part, I succeeded. I was able to churn out numerous completed stories and a butt-load of uncompleted ideas still waiting to be finished. I would give you exact numbers on this, but to be honest, I haven’t taken the time to count them up. If I were to guess, I’d say that I completed rough drafts for 20+ short stories, started shorts that may turn into novels (3 off of the top of my head, each in the 20,000+ word ball park) and at least 20 more shorts yet to be finished. I also started a new novel I intend to finish. I won’t dive into the details just yet, but let’s just say there is a lot of grave digging going on and I intend to unearth quite a few horrors with it.

My reading has stayed in line from last year and although I haven’t put it into an official count, I tucked away 12 to 13 index cards with novels and stories I read over 2017 (equal to what I accomplished in 2016; each index card has roughly 15 lines on it equaling 15 novels or short stories per card). So that’s good, but I need to improve. I’ve already knocked out one novel so far for this year and I am currently into The Exorcist and an independent YA novel from Stitched Smile titled Humanity’s Hope by Pembroke Sinclair. So far so good on both books and I look forward to adding them to my “been there, read that” pile. The more I read the better I write. I used to think this was a silly notion writers said to boost their own works, but in recent years I have learned that you can’t be a great writer without consuming as many other books as possible. It’s the nature of the beast. At times I feel like I should be writing when I’m reading, but I have to shake the doubts off and keep my nose in the books. It is the only way a true writer really learns anything.

I don’t want to list a ton of things I will accomplish this year, but there are a few I have to put down as guidelines so that my craft keeps moving forward. The first thing, first and foremost is that I complete my novel (at least the rough draft). I want it done as soon as possible (the rough draft) so I can start tweaking it and making it better. I didn’t really do this with Emails from ’66 and to date, it has been one of my biggest regrets as a writer. Secondly, I want to publish more short stories this year. In 2017, I published two shorts- The Unseen Fear in Monsters Vs. Zombies Volume 1 and Convincing Vince in When You’re Strange. I also have another story that has been accepted for another anthology, but they haven’t filled their quota of stories for it yet. I also have a book review coming out in the new Stitched Smile magazine (details on this coming soon!). Considering I had no credits to my name since 2008, I was stoked about all of these! This year I plan to get at least 5 shorts accepted. I hope there will be more than that and I exceed this goal, but I wanted to keep it realistic and have a number to strive for.

My third goal is to get back on the 2000 words a day goal. I let it slide through the holidays, but now I’m getting back on board. I can’t argue the amount of good things produced from this project and I want it to continue. It’s nice to have stories on reserve when an anthology comes up and I just so happen to have a story perfect for their theme waiting patiently in the stockpile. The other thing I have to work out here is incorporating more edits into my daily routine somehow. With the reading and the writing it was tough to break away and clean up rough drafts for submissions. I need a daily designated time to focus on rewrites and editing, so as an aside to the 2000 words a day challenge, I’ll work hard to incorporate this into my routine.

Lastly, I am going to try and become more diligent with this blog and my online presence. In today’s market it is crucial to my success, but more important to me is the engagement I get with people in general. For those who don’t know me, I tend to stay in front of my keyboard and seldom interact with the outside world like I used to. Once upon a time I was pretty outgoing and always on the move in the real world. For whatever reason my personality has changed and I am more comfortable at home (a lot of this has to do with my determination to make it as a writer- I’m not getting any younger, you know, lol). But being able to interact with readers and other writers helps me on a personal level and keeps me from feeling like a recluse. This blog and my Facebook page helps with that and I am grateful for those who take the time to read my work and reach out to me. As the old saying goes, I write the rough drafts for myself, but the finished product is always for you. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!