2025 Goals

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

Welcome to the first Insecure Writer's Support Group post of 2025 (AKA my incentive to write a monthly post - and yes, I'm posting early. Look at me go.). I'm bypassing the optional question this month in favor of a quick chat about goals. Every January I update my new goals and check in on the old ones to see how I did. Goals are what keeps us going. Well, that and breathing.

Let's see what was on the agenda for 2024 and how I did.

New books I hope you'll see in 2024:

Frayed - out with ARC readers RELEASED!

One Shot At The Sphinx - in the last round of edits RELEASED!

Laya's Vacation - waiting for illustrations RELEASED!

Projects I hope to get to or wrap up in 2024:

Godmother - currently just notes I did start this one. So yay? Is it wrapped up? Nooooooo

i9 - first draft in progress First draft complete! Hooray!

Interface - first draft in progress Ooooooh, yeah, so uhh..... FAIL. AGAIN. Sorry, Interface. 

On the bonus side, I did write Nugget the Space Chicken, which wasn't even on my list (currently out for edits and a reading by my target audience). Woohoo!

Other goals for 2024:

As always, I'm hoping to read more. I have so many books on my TBR stacks and on my kindle.  I did get at least one if not three books read a month, so I'll call this a win. Did I also add to my TBR stacks so I looks like I accomplished nothing? Yep.

I'd like to get out in my flower garden more. We'll see if my body cooperates. I did return to the flower garden and cleaned out / replanted several large sections, redid my stone stairway, AND built a large raised vegetable garden out of five pallets full of very heavy blocks. #muscle  

Maybe work a little less. Yes, I'm laughing at that one while looking at my 2024 events over there on the right, but we're back to that hope thing. On paper, I did work less. A little. I only did one book event Sept - Dec so yay me. The down time would have been fantastic had I not also taken on two exchange students in Sept for the rest of the school year. Are they fun kids? Yep. Are we having a good time? Yep. Am I relaxing? Umm Nope.

Which brings us to... Goals for 2025:

Publish Nugget the Space Chicken

Publish I9

Finish writing Godmother

Finish writing Interface (Shaking my head at this one. Poor Interface)

Successfully juggle enough book stock for all those events ---> 

Read two books a month

Keep working on the overgrown flower garden

Did you have a good year? Do you have goals for the year ahead?

Plowing through December

November's writing month was a success! While I'd hoped to get to more than one project, I did at least manage to finish i9. 66,951 words spewed from my head to the the keyboard.  The rough draft of i9 clocked in at 117K. There are definitely some spots than need fleshing out so I'm guessing that will increase a bit but we'll see how the edits shake out when I get that far.

I had a goal of at least 1K a day. Other than the one day 
I was gone at a comic con for long hours, I was able to at
least touch my WIP every day. Yay!

So what's next on the agenda? Editing? Nope. That story needs to rest for a bit. More writing! Those other two projects aren't going to write themselves. Sadly.

While I take a day to ponder which project I'll be diving into next, let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other participating writers.

Do you write cliffhangers? Are they a turn off for you as a reader?

As a writer, I endeavor not to write cliff hangers. The book needs to end. Does the main conflict need to be resolved? Yes. Do the characters need to have meaningful growth? Yes. Can there be a few unresolved tidbits floating around to tease the next book? Yes, that is acceptable.

Would I ever end a book with: to be continued? I have strong words on that topic so we'll leave it at a HARD NO (see the toned down version below).

As a reader, if I invest time and energy into a book at it ends with any version of 'tune in next time to find out', that book is flying at a high velocity into the nearest wall and I will not read that author again. For the love of all that's holy, end the damned book! If an author cannot end a book,  my faith is lost in this little contractual thing we have going on. I purchased a book. I did not purchase a book with the unwitting obligation to by two to twelve other books to find out how it all ends. There need to be 'endings for now' along the way. If the author can show me a gratifying end to a book one and I enjoyed book one, I will likely give book two a try. Leave the choice to continue in the reader's hands.

It's Writing month!

November marks my 19th foray into pouring out a novel in 30 days. 

I used the last half of October to get back into the writing groove, because I'm here to tell you, if you haven't been writing at all seriously in nine or so months, the brain gets a little rusty in that department.

To get back into the swing of things, I set a goal to write (at least) 500 words a day from Oct 14 to 31. Setting a goal lower than I know darn well I can do helped alleviate the pressure of  'having to do the thing'. While it was a rough start and there were three days early on that I wrote less or nothing at all, I did manage to grease the gears enough that my brain and fingers remembered how this noveling thing works. By the end of the month, I was hitting my usual NaNo pace of 1,800 words a day.

I used Trackbear, a nifty new to me app to help set my habit goal that I can also use to set word goals and combine word counts to meet those goals across multiple projects. This is super handy and much easier than trying to math while in writing mode. Check out this free app if your interested in setting writing goals and establishing good wordy habits.

How do I have time to hit 1800 words a day with a job, surprise kids, pets, and all the usual life things?  When I'm in full noveling mode, I write three times a day. Morning (before everyone else is up) tends to be pretty productive. A quick twenty minutes after work but before making dinner. And then whatever time I have between after dinner and before running the surprise kids around / spending time with my husband / becoming unconscious. 

Can I crank out 1,800 words in one sitting? Yes. Can I do that in an hour and half? Sure. Do I like to? No. It's mentally exhausting and hard to maintain day after day. For me, anyway. Your word mileage may vary. Breaking up the word load over the whole day is easier to handle and less stressful. And who needs stress? Save that for your characters. 

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is: What creative activity to you engage in when you're not writing? 

I paint, doodle, go on random new craft binges, and when in the mood, do cross stitch. What do you like to do?

Bookshelves, Venue groups, and IWSG

Things are slowing down. Yes, I've been waiting to say that since March. Whew! We're finally here. Which means, at some point in October, it's time to get back in the writing groove. More on that in a moment.

Last month I finally had time for podcast interviews. I did a reading of The Summoning from Everyone Dies on Indie Reads Podcast YouTube / Spotify  I also had a chat on C's Creative Corner Spotify / Apple If you have a podcast and would like to chat, shoot me an email (info on my About Me page).

As event season winds down, there are a couple of tidbits I'll share for anyone looking to get into in person event selling in 2025.

1. Book your events NOW. Yes, I know it's still 2024, but you know what? I've booked half of my 2025 events already. Many cons and art festivals book tables/booths nine months to a year out. Research your audience and where you can interact with them and secure yourself a spot in those places or at least write them down to watch for when applications open up.

2. Where do you find those mysterious places where your readers might be? Research. In theory, you likely write what you like to read. So where would you go to meet an author of the thing you like? There are Facebook groups for everything. Search for your area, your state, comic cons, festivals, library, craft and vendor events, etc.

3. Consider what you need for your table set up and get on that now rather than waiting until two weeks before your first event of the season. It seems like every year I update or upgrade something in my set up. If you're starting out, start basic, a table cloth, a stand of some sort to get your book(s) vertical, a credit card processing device, business cards or bookmarks with your name, socials, and book cover(s) on them.  Level 2 would be adding a table banner or a stand up banner or both. If you have several titles, consider getting a book rack instead of individual table easels. Amazon sells many wire book racks, but I don't like those as they hide too much of your cover if you have to use all the spaces. I designed a rack that works perfectly for me and maybe it will for you too. This one breaks down flat for easy storage and transportation in my event kit, and it allows 90% of the cover to be on display, while also keeping your books from blowing over in the wind (a real problem at outdoor events), and provides hidden storage in the back for your food, water, bags, cashbox, etc.

Back to that looming writing thing. November brings my annual writing frenzy month. So what's on the agenda for year 19?

1. Perhaps add words to i9. I haven't added much to this since last November, but I have been working on edits as the existing chapters work their way through my local critique group.

2. Godmother - the YA fairy tale I outlined but never got to last November.

3. The Adventures of Nugget the Space Chicken - Early chapter book to add to my children's chicken offerings. This one is outlined and illustrations (by my artsy daughter) are in progress.

Yep, I have plenty of options. The more important ingredient is ambition. And that's where I'm guttering at the moment. We'll see how October pans out for refilling that well.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

And that brings us to this months Insecure Writer's Support Group question: What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? 

Ok, so not your typical 'classic' horror tale, but this twisted story did make a grisly impact on me as a teen reader and has stuck with me through the years. Was I reading age appropriate stuff? Was there parental guidance on reading selections? This was the 80's, people. Definitely not. *Not for the faint of heart or those sensitive of violence toward women.

 

Oh Thank Goodness, It's September!

I made it through the six weekends of events in a row of the August frenzy! I won't say I'm coherent or brimming with anything other than good memories, money for groceries for the next few months, and a hankering for a week of nothing but naps and reading, but I'm here.

 August highlights include:

Author Joan Young and I spent a long weekend in Michigan's Upper
Peninsula at the Wild Blueberry Festival.

I made some time for a beer and a book on the shore of Lake Superior.

Author Ingar Rudholm and I spent a weekend meeting readers
at the South Haven Blueberry Festival.

Magical creatures at the Michiana Ren Fest enjoyed
 visiting with Laya and picking up her book.

It was a hot weekend at the Michiana Ren Fest, but I met lots of readers
and managed not to poke any eyes out with my fairy wings.

Now that I have Laya's Vacation out in the world, what am I working on next? Resting. Do I have projects lined up? Yes. I'll get back into them sometime between now November, when writing begins again in earnest for National Novel Writing Month. Until that urge returns: Naps and reading and one author event a month until the end of the year. A much more manageable pace.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

Onward to this month's, Insecure Writer's Support Group portion of the post. This month's fellow co-hosts are: Beth Camp, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando

We're back to school and talking about English class and the one writing rule we learned that messed us up. But honestly, I can't think of any rules that I've had issues with or that my editors  repeatedly have thrown back at me. There are things I've forgotten and had to look up because it's been... umm, 35 years. Other than that, I loved English classes. I took all of them, even the elective ones! It was one of the few subjects, other than art and the sewing portion of home economics, that I was really good at. Let's not talk about math or science, well, the math parts of science, anyway. Numbers bad. Letters, good!

To stay on topic(ish) though, I was recently talking with my father and he mentioned running into his English teacher, who asked if he was still writing. He had stopped before I was born and I've never read anything he'd written (in a creative writing sense), but he mentioned I was writing and published, which his teacher was excited about. This is so very weird to me because: Numbers. My English teachers and my art teacher have passed away - people I would very much have loved to share my accomplishments with - from only 35 years ago. Yet, his teacher is still out and about and remembered that he used to write. At least one English teacher, even if it wasn't mine, is excited for my accomplishments. I'll take it. :)