Obligatory Year’s End/Year’s Beginning Post.

This is the time of year for new beginnings. It’s the time where we look ahead to the new year and start making plans for what we’d like to accomplish. A lot of things you can’t really predict. I know that this time last year, I would have never imagined I’d be where I am now, and that’s a good thing. How boring would it be if we could reasonably fathom all that could transpire in twelve months? Either way, based on the previous twelve, I do have a lot of hopes for the next twelve, a lot of things I’m excited to set into motion and see what happens.

As far as my goals went, 2013 was kind of a flop, but, as far as living life, it was a great success. I had two major changes occur, so I’m not even bothered that I didn’t meet my reading goal or publish another book. It’s hard to be too concerned about that when you managed to find a truly awesome second chance at love and you completely rerouted your worldview to make for a kinder, gentler lifestyle.

I’ve definitely got big plans for 2014. Last year, I really struck me how much I want to cultivate my writing into more than just a dream. I don’t expect it to reach career level next year, but I need to take the proper steps forward. My biggest drive is to sell at least one book each month, in any format, because I know marketing is the area that I severely failed last year. At least one book a month. Forces me to actually promote my work and challenges me to get creative so I don’t irritated people with constant please. I also hope it will motivate me to get a second book published: it will be easier to sell a book with more variety, and the hype of a new book would be a great advertising springboard. If you haven’t already, please consider helping me start the year off right by buying a copy of Bowlful of Bunnies this January.

In addition to selling a book each month, I’m going to try to send out at least one short story or other piece of work each month, be it to a journal, a contest, an anthology, anything. This means writing at least one short story a month, not a small task for me, who has a bad habit of turning everything into a novel I never finish.

Once more, I’m shooting for reading 100 books, which I’ve yet to actually do, but it’s always a fun challenge. I’m upping it a little bit by introducing this list of 1001 books to the mix.

I would also legitimately like to have a guest blogger every month, too, to help me get back into the writer community I love so much but sort of fell out of recently. If anyone’s interested, hit me up, and we’ll talk. I know there’s a few of you I chatted with last year, and it fell through the cracks, but this is when we right those stupid mistakes we made before.

Among these writing and reading goals, I’m going to look for a new job this year, one that doesn’t distract so much from my writing, because my current one is just too demanding. That would be fine if I wanted a career in that job, but, since I don’t, it seems like just too much unnessisary stress. I’m also intending to find an apartment with my significant other soon, and, once we’re settled, start a whole crap load of home cooking and work on my arts more and maybe even start that sweing project I’ve been wanting to pick up.

In a nutshell, I’ve got some incredibly exciting things ahead for me in 2014 and I cannot wait to get them going. Case in point, I’ve already sent out a new story last week. Off we go!