Looking ahead to 2024

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024

Jessica E. Subject

I've mentioned in previous posts that I don't like to make resolutions, but I definitely have goals for the new year. While I finished writing two stories this year, only one of them has been published. Either way, the result is far less than the goals I set for myself. Why? I had a hard time adjusting to changes in my life. Just as I was getting used to my oldest child off at school, my dog (who was very much my shadow) became very ill and we had to have her put down. We knew it was coming, but it was still extremely hard for me. A few months later, we brought another dog into our home. And while she is an absolute joy, and my new shadow, she took a lot of time to adjust to living in a house. The first year of her life was spent in a barn, out in the wild, and then at the local shelter. And that emotional roller coaster of all those changes made it hard for me to focus on writing.

By the later half of this year, I was back in the game, able to focus again. I finished writing 4 United, submitted it, and had it release at the end of September. And last month, I finished and submitted another story, which is likely to release in February. I will share more information on that in my newsletter and on social media soon. 

I'm currently in the process of plotting/writing three stories. Two of them are stories that will be part of my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series, and the other is a story that has been stirring in my head and begging to be written. The third one isn't a romance though. It's a futuristic story about a mother's love for her family, but there is no happy ending. I don't know what I'll do with that story, but my goal is to write all three of them by the end of next year. *fingers crossed*

Do you have any goals for 2024? Or are you still focused on 2023 and getting through the holidays? Yeah, I'm still doing that, too. LOL

Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to You for the New Year!

Resetting Goals

Earlier yesterday I opened my 2010 goals document and took stock of what goals I had already accomplished and what I had yet to do. I do this every 2-3 months. Yesterday was the 2nd time I opened the document this year. And what I discovered was eye opening.

In January when I’d originally put together the goals list, I had very specific things I wanted to get finished and accomplish. Then, around May 1st, I’d pretty much tossed everything out the window because somehow during the course of the year, my goals had changed. Slightly at first then once small things shifted, the rest fell like an avalanche.

I cleared my schedule. Wiped clean everything from my calendar. Will I write the books I had planned? I’d like to but don’t really know at this point. And that’s okay. The ideas are still in a folder, but I'm not sure I want (or even need) them anymore.

I have bigger plans. Higher goals. More dazzling dreams. In short, I want to defy gravity and I can’t do that with clipped wings.

Right now, I’m involved with two fairly sizable projects. One is a fantasy romance. It’s been slow going for me because it’s a new genre and fantasy writing can be tedious at times with all the world building, rule making, etc. I’m excited though and I’m hoping for big things from this book.

The other project is a historical romance and so far, it’s going strong. With this book, I feel I have a chance at garnering an agent’s attention. Only time will tell.

As for the rest of the year, I only have two short pieces I’ve promised and that’s it. I’m not taking on anything else. I don’t intend to write anything else until these are wrapped up to the best of my ability, gone over with a fine tooth comb, self-edited, rewritten and fussed over until they're awesome. My concentration will be on these two books until they are finished or my energy leaves me completely LOL Sometimes, it’s not about how much you can put out during the year. Sometimes, it’s about the quality of the work and really getting to know the writing inside and out and making the book a masterpiece.

Sure, new ideas are constantly flowing. They get dumped into a Word document for a later time. For the foreseeable future, these two books are the only things I need.

Sorry if this post sounds selfish, but my point was it’s okay to reassess yourself mid-stream and change tactics. In fact, you might just find it’s exactly what you needed to do all along.

Until the next time, happy writing, reading or simply being.