Onward! to 2020

Technically, it’s still 2019 as I post this, but really, at this point in the year, who cares? It’s just tradition to take a fond look back at what my goals were and what I achieved in 2019.

“A fond look.” Did I really write that? How trite.

Anyway! Looking at my Super Fancy Goal Tracking System (a.k.a. the collection of sticky notes along the hood of my desk) I see that I set three goals for myself in 2019.

1) Increase sales over 2018. This was the most risky, because it depends on other people’s purchasing decisions (editors and/or readers). That is something I don’t control. My other goals were intended to make this one happen.

2) Issue a monthly newsletter with a snippet from one of my books. Make it so fun and engaging that it drives the aforementioned sales.

3) “Finish 3rd novella and publish them somehow.” Somewhat vague, but aimed at Minstrels of Skaythe. This time last year, I was just finishing the second of those novellas and didn’t want to let the series drop.

4) Make 6 public appearances that relate to your writing. This one, I didn’t actually write down until later. It was aimed at driving sales and building newsletter readership.

Believe it or not, I achieved every goal. I brought out the monthly newsletter. (It hasn’t done much for me, that I can tell, but I did it.) I made 6 appearances during the year. I finished the third novella, The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh, so the series did continue.

And my risky goal? I even met that one. My income from writing, although pathetic, is still more than it was in 2018. That’s largely due to the judging fee I received from Idaho Writers, but I also sold books at SpoCon and RadCon in 2018.

With this encouragement, I will now take down those sticky notes from the hood of my desk… and start to make some new ones. Onward!

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