It's the New Year! (how is it 2020? seriously... it feels like just yesterday everyone was freaking out about Y2K...)

Anyway, it's that time of year again, the time when I look back at the year behind me and look forward at the year ahead, reminisce fondly about all the things I thought I'd get done, and try to be more realistic in the coming year.

Actually, though, looking back at last year's New Year's Dreams and Goals post, I didn't do too badly!

2019 Accomplishments:

I wrote a LOT this past year. Like, a LOT. I finished book four of Turrim Archive, The Prisoner and the Pirate, wrote 3 pieces of flash fiction, the short novel Summer Princess, and the entirety of the fifth book in Turrim Archive, Towers of Might and Memory for a whopping total of 189,195 words! I think that might be an annual record for me.

I published my first children's picture book in October, and I had four pieces of flash fiction accepted to be published at Havok (the fourth one is publishing later this month on January 22nd!)We moved into our new house, and even got all our boxes unpacked.

I had 117 blog posts (at least 20 of those were guest posts by other authors), so I hit my goal of blogging less, but still had plenty of content here on the old bloggity blog.

I read 66 books over the past year and enjoyed all of them immensely.

Homeschooling continues to go well, and the older two hobbits and I have a weekly date at the local rock wall, which has been an absolute blast. I got my belay certification and everything, and I've been enjoying the challenge and getting some exercise in a fun way.

Dreams for 2020:

So what am I hoping to accomplish this year?

Mostly editing.So much editing.All the editing.

I have finished the first step of writing The Turrim Archive. All five books are drafted. HUZZAH! Now begins the massive task of getting through the first pass of editing all five books (which will be a journey of epic proportions, particularly since book 3 is in no way, shape, or form even in the correct order... huzzah for Scrivener!). Then I will send them to my content editor for the first round of feedback.Ideally, I would like to have The Orb and the Airship completely finished and polished and ready to go by the end of 2020, though I still would not be releasing it for a while. We have some big plans for marketing and releasing these carefully, and it may be 2022 before we begin.

I also hope to finish editing and polishing Summer Princess (that's my January project), as my goal with that book is to shop it around to some traditional publishers. Not sure if that's the route we are actually going to go, but I'm open to trying some different things with it.

I'd also like to write some more flash fiction, and hopefully get a few more stories published with Havok. With all the editing in my future, this may be the only way I get to write new stuff this year... though my husband has been busily working on a new world for me to write some shorter adventures in... more on that later.

I've set my Goodreads goal low again, at 30 books this year. We shall see what happens there.

Blogging. Definitely planning to host February is Fantasy Month here again next month. Over in my facebook readers group it looks like the people who voted would like me to focus on mythical/fantastical creatures for the theme this year, so I'll be incorporating that into the posts. I have a few ideas, but if any of you have anything in particular you'd like to see, please let me know! I'm also planning on helping out with the fifth annual Silmaril Awards later this year, and hoping to make it the biggest Silmaril Awards ever!

I'd love to master a 5.10 at the rock wall before the end of the spring semester. (Currently, the hardest thing I've climbed is a 5.8 that I was told was right on the brink of a 5.9... so I've got a ways to go).

But my biggest goal for 2020 is to be present with my family. Even if it means that all the writing goals take longer or don't get finished... this year I mostly want to be way more intentional about the way I am spending my time. This might mean you won't see me online as frequently or as much, and it might mean a quieter blog this year... hopefully a more intentional blog.

What about you, dear Reader? What are some of your dreams for 2020?

A New Decade, New Dreams

2019 Accomplishments:

Dreams for 2020: