December: Rest & 2023 Goals
I had big plans for the last two months of 2022. I wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo, complete the world-building process for my fantasy novel, reach my 55 book goal and so much more. But something about the shorter days, colder weather and rush of holidays forced me to slow down and take an extended breath. I’m still searching for an equilibrium with life. The COVID pandemic is still present (even if governments and large swarths of the population want to pretend otherwise), my day job called us back into the office three days out of the week, library school is equally rewarding and exhausting and my head is full of worlds and stories, but by the end of the day I have no energy to fill the pages of my (numerous) notebooks.
My body is forcing me to slow down and I have little choice but to rest and recover.
This doesn’t mean I’m not setting goals or creating intentions for 2023. My cousin and I plan on creating vision boards on New Year’s Eve. In my Notes app, I have a list of several goals divided into different categories like ‘Personal,’ ‘Library Career,’ ‘Financial’ and of course ‘Writing Career.’ I always try to create at least one or two writing goals and for 2023, I want to focus on the communal aspect of the writing life. I’d love to connect with other writers and continue with the two writing groups I’m a member of. I’d also love to build a core ‘beta reader’ list who I can lean on when I want feedback or critiques.
I’m trying to extend myself grace and compassion more often, so my 2023 writing goals may shift or change as the year progresses. I’d like to establish a regular writing routine, but I recognize this will be difficult once the spring semester begins. Ultimately, I hope to lean into my creativity, enjoy the entire process and write some weird, meaningful and heartfelt stories (and maybe secure a publication or two along the way).
2023 Writing Goals:
Write a novel & short story collection: The challenge with this first goal is that I have three novel ideas bouncing around in my head. They’re all equally interesting and worth pursuing, but there’s no way I can draft all three without overextending myself. Ideally, the novel I draft and revise will be in a submission-ready state by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024, so I need to pick an idea and stick to it. I’m heavily leaning towards one particular idea (I’ll share more details in January or February after the outline is complete). I think it will hold my attention for the entire year. And when I’m not working on the novel, I’d love to sharpen my short story skills and create a collection. Short story collections are supposedly hard to sell, so this may be a project that I eventually self-publish. (Similar to the novel, I’ll share more details in the beginning of 2023 once I have an outline).
Submit more often: According to my duotrope account, I submitted one story to one market in 2022. In 2021, I submitted four stories to eight different markets. I submit stories sporadically. My short stories usually undergo at least two rounds of revision before I feel comfortable submitting them to a magazine. But in 2023, I hope to submit at least fifty times. These won’t all be acceptances. I know I’m a skilled writer, but I doubt I can produce fifty good stories in one year when I typically average one or two good stories per year. But I’d like to grow comfortable with submitting in preparation for the novel querying that will likely occur in 2024. And if I plan to write more short stories next year, why not submit them to open markets? Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Connect with writers (in person & virtually): I’m currently a member of two writing groups. In 2020 and 2021, I consistently logged in to the virtual writing sessions. But with school and other non-writing engagements, I haven’t attended as many sessions in 2022. I want to change that and make it a habit to drop in on a writing session at least once a week. I would also love to build stronger connections with the writers I follow on social media. Navigating virtual relationships can be difficult and I’m always second-guessing myself when it comes to responding to tweets or posts. And with the new Twitter leadership, connecting with my peers is even more difficult. But I remain optimistic that I’ll continue to find writers who can offer support, kind words and a space to create.
Grow blog subscriber count: This blog is still new, but I want to reach a wider audience. Self promotion is difficult and one reason I didn’t see much growth with my old blog is because I was too anxious to tell people about that space. But I’m proud of the work I’ve put into this new website and I want to share it with more people. My 2023 subscriber count goal is 30 total subscribes, which feels manageable. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you so much! If this is your first time here and you’d like to follow my journey and receive blog or publication updates, please subscribe by filling in your contact information at the end of this post!
Compile a list of agents: I will query agents in 2024! Possibly in 2023 if my novel revisions go smoothly. I’d love to become a debut author by late 2025 or early 2026 (which feels far away, but also right around the corner). Long ago, I had a list of agents I wanted to query. But my writing interests have evolved since then and I think it’s time to create a new list of agents interested in speculative fiction. If there is an interest, I may create a resource page on my website and upload my list for people who are also in the process of querying or hope to start soon!
I’ll check in with these goals throughout the year (maybe every quarter…) A lot of my attention was directed towards graduate school and work in 2022. Now that I have a better understanding of the effort needed to make it through a semester, I hope to incorporate more writing and revision into my routine.
It’s easy to overlook all that we’ve accomplished in a year. As 2022 comes to a close, I hope you take some time to reflect and honor the work and growth you’ve experienced this year. I also want to wish you a Happy New Year! And if happiness feels unattainable right now, then I will wish you a Gentle New Year instead. (I hope to find the source of the ‘gentle new year. If I run across it again, I will update this post).
I’ll write again soon!
-Brittany
