So, I really really didn’t want to do this, but the only thing I hate more than doing this, is just ignoring it and pretending that this isn’t here.
Time to face the music!
Let’s get into this recap and it’ll be good once we’re on the other side!
NUMBER 1
FINISH WRITING Control ❌
Strategy:
– update 2-3 chapters a month ✔ – mostly
– reply to comments ❌
– continue tracking the book by stages ✔
– try to write a little every day ✔
Recap:
Honestly, I’m very surprised to see that I did almost everything I set out to do strategy-wise, but it didn’t bring me to finishing the book.
Control. Control. Control.
This book has been going on for years, and this year, we tackled the biggest highs and lows of the book, and now we’re in the descent. I thought I’d wrap up the book a lot faster, but we’ve got lots of strings to tie together before that.
There’s still Hagen’s conversation with his friends, some sort of hint towards aresolution between the parents, Josey’s talk with Nikola, and their conclusion where BDSM is concerned.
Honestly, I think the BDSM aspect is why the book isn’t finished. I always said Control would have BDSM themes, but they are fully going to be in a BDSM relationship and that’s something I didn’t see until I was writing it, which is why I couldn’t have planned for the extra chapters it introduced.
So while I wish I finished Control, I am okay with the reason behind why I haven’t.
——-
NUMBER 2
START Aiasthlyn ❌
Recap:
I am actually really sad that I didn’t reach this goal last year. As much as I love Control and writing the characters, I have been working on the book primarily for years now, and I really wanted to start a new project, especially one that would allow me to world build so much.
Unfortunately, I just couldn’t justify to myself starting a whole new book when I had the extras going, the AM Rewrite, and side projects as well.
So as sad as I am that I wasn’t able to start this book, it would’ve been both irresponsible and unfair to you guys to do so anyway.
NUMBER 3
FINISH Heil/Calderon Family Prank Wars ❌
Recap:
Okay in all honestly, this was the absolute last thing on my mind this year. I thought I might be able to squeeze it out for a Christmas gift before the year ended but December was a clusterfuck where time was concerned so I couldn’t.
At this point, I can say that finishing the Prank Wars is unfortunately not a priority for me, but I do think one day I’ll just do it and it’ll pop up for those who still care.
In the meantime, I’m really sorry for those who’ve waited for so long to see how it would conclude.
NUMBER4 + 5
FINISH WRITING Alpha Mates Rewrite ❌
PREP ALPHA MATES FOR PUBLICATION ❌
Strategy:
– finish the rewritten manuscript ❌
– try to write a little every day ✔
– get a cover made ❌
– contact an editor ❌
Recap:
So this one is just plain embarassing but here we go.
First up, the manuscript is not done, but WE ARE CLOSE. We’re less than 15 chapters to end, which I’m going to be going full out over January and February to have done by the end of February.
The cover, I have the person in mind so really I just have to reach out which I will be doing this month. And for the editor, I switched routes on who I would want to use last month, so I have to contact this new person.
I didn’t want to contact anyone until I at least had a skeleton draft done and I severely overestimated myself and how quickly I’d get it done around the extras and Control. But we are getting there, slowly but surely, and since I literally paused my work career for this, I will get this done this year.
NUMBER 6
COMPLETE A WRITING COURSE ❌
Recap:
So I honestly forgot I made this a goal, which is really crazy cause for the last half of the year, I was looking into doing a Masters in Creative Writing, but the pricing was just too much.
Still, I do remember really wanting to do a small writing course at the start of the year, and I wish I remembered this so that I at least did that. Big sigh.
NUMBER 7
GROW MY ONLINE PRESENCE MORE ❌
Strategy:
– post weekly on Instagram ❌
– have more polls on Patreon ?
– advertise my Patreon a little more ✔
– include more songs in my chapters ✔
– keep on track with Inkitt ✔
Recap:
So I did sort of do this, but not at all in the way I thought. It was really in the website!
Building this website wasn’t even on the roster for this year, and yet here we are! And I do love her. It was a big endeavour and it makes me so happy to have a platform completely belonging to me and it does help with my overall presence here!
Sadly, I fell off the ball with Instagram, but I’m coming to realise that it’s all a bit too much for one person to handle and really Instagram should be for updates when they’re relevant.
NUMBER 8
Do more double updates ?
Recap:
I’m actually not sure about this one at all. I know I did a few but you guys are going to have to tell me whether or not it was more than before.
NUMBER 9
Make all humans cry ?
Recap:
I leave this one to you guys again, but I am more than sure that I got a good number of you bawling between Control and the extras! But if I missed you, let me know so I can work even harder next time!
Well, there it is. My recap for my 2024 goals.
I am disappointed in myself, but I do know that I did a lot and achieved a lot in other ways. Like we have the website, Patreon membership has boomed over the last year, and I am more than anything, still in love with writing which is the one thing I never want to lose.
Another thing I’ve come to realise is that circumstances change. A lot. And drastically.
Like there were some times where I wasn’t in the best mental space, and couldn’t write. Others, I was just having fun and that’s okay cause I still have to live my life at the end of the year. Added to that, at the start of the year, there were no Control months and that helped speed things a lot so I’m really grateful for that.
So while I am disappointed, I see now that annual goals like this don’t really work for me anymore, and I have to adapt.
But forgetting all that, I don’t want this to be entirely negative. IT WAS A GREAT YEAR for my writing, and whether or not I met these goals does not change that.
Thank you all again for your support, for you understanding, patience and kindness.
As always, I’m so excited to see where this new year takes us for my writing!!!!
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