The Dreaded New Year

I’m excited for 2014 and brand new goals and resolutions, but I have so much I want to accomplish, there is a bit of dread involved as well. Still, why not be ambitious and shoot large, right?  Reading about goal-making, I’ve read over and over again to be specific in my goals and to give them a deadline/date, so I’ve decided to stagger my resolutions with dates throughout the year, roughly in the order of when they should be accomplished by. Here’s hoping I can make all of  these come true on time!

Submit to Amazon’s contest (if they have it) or find a different one if they don’t:

I’ve submitted to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for the past 3 years and I’m hoping to take another shot at it this year. I’ve enjoyed the excitement, the reviews from top reviewers, and one year a scathing Publishers Weekly review that taught me to stand up to the critics. It’s got a great creative energy and I’m hoping they’ll hold the contest again. Usually the deadline is in January, but there’s still no word, so I’ll wait and see.

My thought is contests force me to make deadlines, to experiment with things I normally wouldn’t, and potentially get me exposure and reviews as an author, so I’d like to enter at least one contest this year. If for some reason the ABNA doesn’t happen (which would be sad, it’s a great contest) I’m going to try to find another one to try.

Publish Captain Pit Bull and the Calico Avengers  on Feb 14th:

What goes better with Valentine’s Day than dog pirates and avenging former cat slaves? Honestly! No mushy-mush stuff for me. I want swashbuckling excitement and lovable animal characters. I’m hoping to finish the art and get the book formatted in time for furry fans everywhere to enjoy it.

I originally planned to publish this short chapter book last year, but time restrictions and other projects, as well as that blank page, conspired to make me unable to finish the art in time. But I really want to get it out soon this year, so full speed ahead!

Attends a couple of local writer’s conferences this spring/summer and pitch to agents and editors in person:

While I love indie-publishing I’d like to both improve my public speaking skills and be in the running for some literary awards for Children’s Literature someday. I want to make a significant contribution to the field with my novels, to really inspire children and adults and tackle important issues while telling awesome stories. Winning an award in my mind would tell me that I’m well on the way to doing just that. So, to accomplish that sort of goal, I’ll need a major publisher for those works.

My Dark Lord Academy series was rejected originally because it’s satire and for a niche market rather than one that agents felt could be wide-spread. I can still reach that niche market with indie publishing, but I’d still like to prove my literary chops with a serious work, and so learning to pitch in public will help me learn that. That means madly working on a novel to pitch, joining some great local agencies, like the local SCBWI chapter, and going to conferences! I’m scared and excited. The novel I’ve picked for this is a high fantasy YA novel: Dragon Boy.

Publish Much Ado About Villains on May 15th:

All those who have been pining away for a sequel, take heart! I’m working on it madly. A May deadline might be too tight for me, but I’m really hoping I will make this the release date for the dreaded sequel. I’m deep in revisions now, with the book up in my critique group (Critique Circle) and I’m hoping to iron out all the problems I’m having with especially the beginning, and get it off to an editor in March.

Launch a Dark Lord Academy website by Oct. 31st:

I’d really like my series to have a snazzy website where fans can get series info, character sketches, and other fun things. I’m not sure what all it should have, and I have no experience whatsoever in designing a webpage (my friend Wulfie from my critique group did this one) but I think I’m up to the challenge. It’ll be learning something completely new and I at least have relatives in web-design who can help guide me in the right direction with this. As my first book was originally a Halloween release, it seems a great idea to shoot for the website by next Halloween, leaving me free for Nanowrimo. I have no idea what I’ll write next Nano, but hey, I can decide that when I get there.  I think I’ve put enough on my plate for now.

I want to wish everyone else success in your own New Years goals, and feel free to link me in a comment to your own post if you’re doing one! We can cheer each other on.