New Year Review and Plans

Okay, it's already the 12th of the month. What can I say? I'm on Prince Edward Island now, and time moves slower here. We take our time getting things done. But, it's time for a quick review of how the past year went, and what I'm hoping to accomplish in 2021. Not that anyone really knows what the heck is going to happen this year, because everything is so upside-down and crazy right now. So, naturally, this is the best time to make some big plans.

So, in the past year I published ten books and wrote over 500,000 original words. It's about half of what I wanted to do, but we did move, so that took a lot of time and energy. It's not an excuse, but it did have an effect on my production. Since we got here, I haven't given my writing the attention it needs. That has to change, and it's changing now.

The books I published included four mysteries: Final Exam, Cold Star, The Missing Magnate, and Best Served Cold; two fantasies: Chronicles of Meterra: Arrival and The Devil's Playground; one science fiction book: Bard Conley's Adventures Across the Solar System; a mixed anthology: A Universe of Possibilities a superhero/steampunk anthology: Awakening, and a retelling of the first eleven chapters of the Bible, In the Beginning. It's an eclectic mix, but it was fun. I've got two other fantasy novels more-or-less finished that I need to publish, and a half-written mystery that I need to finish.

So, what are my goals for 2021? Finish the mystery, publish the two fantasy novels, and write a whole bunch more. I'm also finishing up my History degree, so that's going to take up a fair amount of time, as well. My goals aren't going to shrink, though; there's no reason why I can't push myself to accomplish what I set out to do last year. My goal for 2020 was 20 books and 100,000 words/month. That's still possible, so it's time to get it done.

One of the things I want to do is participate in the Blogging A to Z Challenge in April. For those who don't know about it, bloggers simply do a post every day except Sunday during the month of April, with each daily topic following the alphabet. There's a master list of participants, so it helps to drive blog traffic, which is something I would really like to see. I have my post topics figured out; they are related to the fantasy book I've already got published. And I want to get two more written and published before April in the same world, so I've got to get busy. That also means that I'll have to get my Traveller Let's Read series done before then, and I've still got a whole book to go.

So, that's my writing plan for the year: 20 books, 100,000 words per month. It's insane, I know. But I can do it, if I focus and push myself. It's all a matter of prioritizing and discipline. And stubbornness, which my wife can confirm I have in abundance.