20 Things For 2020

A Fresh Start

While I firmly believe that every morning is the opportunity for a fresh start, that sentiment is especially strong at the beginning of a new year. And I do realize the month of January has already come and gone.

It's already February!

One of the things I love about February is that it's my birthday month. This year for my birthday, I requested a writers retreat as my present. I signed up for the Realm Makers Winter Retreat here in Florida. I can't wait.


What Does 2020 Have in Store?

Things like writing retreats aren't necessarily easy to plan with a 2 year old, a husband, two pets, etc. But that's one of the reasons I came up with a list of 20 things that I'd like to focus on, accomplish, or even dream about in 2020. Most importantly, this list is limited to what I can control, not things that are out of my control.


You said...

It was so wonderful to hear from two of my dearest friends who responded to my email newsletter (which this blog is a copy of) with their hopes and dreams. Here's what they had to say.

Heather - In 2020, I’m working on returning to my authentic, true self. Over the years, life's hardships have suppressed my strength and courage. The fire has been rekindled in my spirit and I’m moving towards that fearless, fun, goal-oriented person again. It feels good to be me!

Tavanya
- This year I am learning and focusing a lot on resting in the Lord. I am praying that I can learn to live an unhurried life, resting in my Savior and that I can share that with others as well.


THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING TRANSPARENT AND SHARING YOUR HOPES & DREAMS!

(Note: if you'd like to get my newsletter, and a free ebook, click HERE)

20 Things For 2020


20. Develop a "catch phrase" for my author website. Something that captures the essence of what I write. Here's what I came up with. I'm already using it on my website. What do you think?
STORIES to INSPIRE
ADVENTURES that AWAIT

19. Look over this list throughout the year and remove anything that doesn't belong. Right now, the list is new and fresh. I want it to simmer. Over time, I might recognize some of my goals as unrealistic. I'm free to say, "No," even to my own list if I need to. Because life happens. And I'm giving myself permission to make changes as needed.

18. Look over this list throughout the year and add anything that I'd like to add. Like #19, I'm giving myself permission to make changes as needed. This is a more optimistic version of that same idea. My hope is that I'll be diligent and able to complete my projects and add more as it becomes feasible. Or there's always #19.

17. Evaluate my schedule with St. Pete Running Company. One of the many joys in my life is writing web content for SPRC, including blogs. Somehow it's not a chore when it's not my own personal blog. Being a stay-at-home mom with a very part-time job (which I can do at home mostly), is a huge blessing. However, I LOVE being in the store, too. And with some schedule changes for my husband's work, I'll be evaluating my ability to spend more time in the store (which I hope can work out--we'll see).

16. Think about audio in general, such as another podcast and what it might be. I've been having a great time with the Lance & Ringo Tails podcast. One of the main reasons? Because it's my fiction! I don't necessarily want to have a "let's talk about writing" or "running" or "pets" podcast for the same reason I struggle with the blogs (see #14). What I really love is putting my writing content out there and narrating the stories. So I'm going to ponder the future of my audio production/podcasting.

15. Complete the Lance & Ringo Tails podcast this year. This was my plan all along. I intend to record all ten "tails" so that they are available as episodes on the podcast. I've been on track with monthly episode releases, which means I'll finish the podcast in September. Essentially, I'm treating it as a marketing tool. The stories are free on the podcast, but ideally fans who enjoy the podcast will want to buy the book, too.

14. Evaluate my blogs and decide how often I'd like to add content. I struggle to write on my blogs. The main reason? I'd rather be writing on my fiction stories and novels. Writing For the Love is my writing blog where I talk about my writing. (This one should be easy. I can copy/paste content from THIS VERY NEWSLETTER and create blog posts there). The Anti-Running Runner is my running blog. I'm training for a race, so I can easily blog about that. But it's all a matter of taking the time to do it. My Lance & Ringo Tails blog is currently the most active because I post each podcast episode once a month.

13. Consider reaching out to other elementary schools for author appearances. As mentioned in #9, I had my first school presentation as an author at Blanton Elementary. What an awesome time! I haven't made any decisions yet, so I'd like to spend some time exploring options and perhaps even getting some information from school libraries.

12. Search for author friends who want to join me at the Gulfport Art & Gallery Walk. One of my regular book signing events before baby was GAGW. It's a monthly event in Gulfport, and it's always such a wonderful time. I've enjoyed sharing a booth with other local authors, and I intend to do it a few more times throughout the year. No hard and fast rules or deadlines for this one. Just looking ahead on the calendar to see when it might work out.

11. Ask myself if I want to write more Lance & Ringo Tails. Notice I didn't say I will write more, at least not in 2020. There is plenty of writing on other projects to keep me busy the entire year. However, something to think about. My first speaking engagement at an elementary school was such a blast, and Lance & Ringo Tails was a big hit there. One kid already reached out to ask if there will be more "tails." So it might be worth expanding. I'll think about it.

10. Keep my critique group going strong. I'm in a critique group with other writers and I've been the facilitator for the group for many years now. While most of our interactions are online, including sending and receiving feedback on our books and stories, we do meet about once a month in person, too. I'd like to keep the group going strong by making sure I'm consistent with communication.

9. Revisit The Marathoner's Daughter by May. This unpublished Christian fiction novel (originally called Sprinter) has been rejected many times by agents and publishers, so I put it on a virtual shelf for a while to write something else (Ring Around the Sun). I think May will be a good time to revisit the novel and take what I've learned in the interim to re-edit and try another round of submissions.

8. Complete the Alvarium Experiment short story by April deadline. Right now, I am committed to writing a new short story for our group of authors publishing "independently together." We've done four anthologies. Our next project is The Masters Reimagined 2 where we'll take a speculative twist on classic works of art. My story is tentatively titled "The Eyes of Mona Lisa."

7. Complete the Journey Into short story by March deadline. One of the podcasts I listen to is called Journey Into. The podcast is hosting a writing contest where participants will be given the name of a song by Journey (the band), which must be the title of the story. The story should also be based on the lyrics of the song in some way. Sounded fun, so I'm going for it!

6. Write 5,000 words a month on the sequel to Ring Around the Sun. This one is specific because the word count (I think) is a reasonable goal. My plan is to create a book series called The Sunscape Chronicles. Book One (Ring Around the Sun) is what I'm submitting to an agent (see #5). Book Two is tentatively titled Lana Gomez and the Sunfire Temple.

5. Submit my novel Ring Around the Sun to the literary agent in February. Back in October, a literary agent requested to review my full novel manuscript. The science fiction story could be summed up: a young Miss Marple meets Raiders of the Lost Ark 200 years in the future. I've received feedback from other writers on the story and have been doing a deep edit before sending the novel to the agent. My goal is to submit by mid-February, and I'm on track so far.

4. Commit to realistic goals in my writing. This includes saying, "No," when I don't think I'll have time for something, whether it be writing a story that I don't believe I'll finish in time for a deadline, or a speaking commitment. It also means saying, "Yes!" when I can.

3. Give myself grace. This entire list is hopes and dreams and desires for this year. What this list isn't: a way to shame myself or punish myself if I fail in any of the things I talk about. It's meant to encourage, uplift, and to motivate me.

2. Check in with my family. Writing can be a very solitary endeavor. I need to be diligent about checking in and keeping the lines of communication open. I'm so blessed to have the support of my family when it comes to my writing, but I'm a wife and a mother, not just a writer. Their needs are very important to me. I intend to have regular family discussions about our upcoming schedules to prioritize and bring my desires regarding my writing goals to the table.

1. Put God first. This has been my way of living since I was young and began following Jesus Christ. In all things, I desire God's will for my life (he knows best!) and I long for his guidance. This includes in my writing and how I tell a story. Sometimes there is symbolism in my books/stories that represents what I believe about God and other times there are characters who reflect their love for God, or their doubts and struggles with God. Ultimately, my love for the Lord is tied directly to what I believe is one of his callings for my life: writing.


I hope this list has encouraged you and made you think about your hopes and dreams. I especially wanted to remind you to give yourself grace, too.

Do you have any hopes and dreams for 2020 that you'd like to share? Please comment! I'd love to hear about it.


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