WRITERS & THEIR GOALS
It's a love-hate relationship, isn't it?
The Fatigue is Real
I have to admit that I hate setting goals. To me, they are a necessary evil that propel me forward (or sometimes drag me kicking and screaming) and enable me get s#*t done. Upfront, let me say I’m no expert on goals—setting them, sticking to them, achieving them—and I have no magic formulas. There are plenty of experts out there who can help you find a system that works for you so that you, too, can get s#*t done.
For me, I found that having a simple journal that covers a four-month period helps me tremendously. I set out goals for this period (no more than three) and then track my progress through the weeks. Each day, I schedule my time, list my targets (small, daily goals), and record my wins (however small). And I do all of this by hand.
At heart, I am a maker of lists. I like things to be color coded, with boxes to tick and blanks to fill in. So, I make my own journals using blank notebooks and a box of colored pens. The exact form of my journals isn’t spectacular or Insta-worthy. Rather, it’s a cobbled-together mashup of various pre-made, commercially available journals, using only those aspects and features that I like. I’ve refined the form over time to something that now seems to work well for me.
In fact, I started this year with a new journal and my most ambitious writing goal to date: to complete the first three books in my new mystery series, the Old City Mysteries. When 2024 began, I was in the early stages of editing the first book, A Place for Good and Evil. When that manuscript finally went to my editor, I began work on the draft for the second book, City of Innocent Monsters. And when book two was finally delivered to my editor, I drafted the third book in the series. A Place for Good and Evil released on August 1. City of Innocent Monsters will release later this month. (More on that below!) And the third book is currently scheduled to release in March 2025.
None of that may seem unusual or the timing very ambitious for some authors, but this is the fastest I have ever written and published. I usually don’t overlap my works-in-progress very much. But I had a goal! I worked hard (and am still working hard) to achieve that goal. My homemade journals have helped keep me on track and made huge difference in my level of productivity.
Despite the ongoing success of writing and publishing the first three books in my new series, I am tired. There are days (most days, in fact) when I wish I hadn’t made this stupid goal in the first place. Burnout is real. It is the downside of working so diligently toward something you really want. At this stage, I am feeling that fatigue. I am also feeling the urge to move on to another story, one outside the world of my series.
As close as I am to crossing the finish line, though, I am not planning to take my foot off the gas completely. I may slow down a little with the approaching holidays, but I will be still be working to finish what I started at the beginning of this year. And using my homemade journals to help me do it.
What were your goals for this year? Will you achieve them by year’s end? And have you found anything that has helped you do so? I’d love to hear from you.
New Release!
As mentioned above, I have a new book releasing this month. My latest, CITY OF INNOCENT MONSTERS, will be available on November 19.
In the Old City, the dead have stories to tell. And this is one of them!
CITY OF INNOCENT MONSTERS is the second installment in my new Old City Mysteries series set in St. Augustine, FL, and it features all manner of murder, mayhem, and the macabre! In book two, private investigator Sidney Stone and her teenage assistant, Leo Roberts, are hired by a prestigious country club to investigate alligator poaching on the club’s marsh-bordered golf course. When dead bodies start washing up on the greens, the case quickly turns turns into a quagmire—trapping Sid and Leo in a murky mystery involving a golf superstar, powerful lawyers, a loan shark, a social media darling, and a couple of ghostly golfers. When a menacing shadow figure begins haunting Leo, the investigators realize that they face danger from a variety of monsters—reptilian ones, dead ones, and living ones who walk among us proclaiming their innocence.
CITY OF INNOCENT MONSTERS will be available in paperback and ebook formats from Amazon.com. To celebrate the release, the ebook will be on sale for only $.99 (November 19-25). Please pick up a copy and leave a review if you enjoy it. Thanks!
Over on my podcast . . .
I’ve had some great guest authors visit with me this month on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet podcast. Check them out!
Episode #220 Author Becky Dean discusses her new young adult contemporary romantic comedy, Hearts Overboard. Set on a cruise ship bound for Alaska, this novel follows Savannah Moore, who is still reeling from a public breakup with her boyfriend and being nicknamed “Moore the Bore.” In an effort to heal her heart and her reputation, Savannah vows to do one new thing each day. Stepping out of her comfort zone is far from easy, and it’s made all the more challenging because her long-time nemesis, Tanner Woods, is also on the ship. Tanner offers to help her with her plan to try new things, and, as it turns out, she may not dislike him as much as she thought.
Episode #221 Author Evette Davis discusses her new novel, The Others. It is the first installment in her urban paranormal fantasy series, The Council Trilogy. The main character, Olivia Shepherd, is a political consultant in San Francisco who stumbles upon a secret society of witches and vampires that is actively meddling in elections around the world. While uncovering this supernatural cabal, Olivia also learns some secrets about her own heritage. Evette describes The Others as a metaphor for the ways in which women make peace with their own power in light of all the expectations placed upon them.
Episode #222 Author Jane Buckingham discusses her new young adult psychological thriller, A Lie for a Lie. In this novel, Sabrina Richard’s carefully orchestrated future is on the line when she finds herself ensnared in a series of high school revenge pranks that get out of hand. By messaging a revenge account, she and her fellow classmates can exact revenge on their enemies, but at what cost? Sabrina discovers she’s being set up to take the fall for a prank gone wrong and must uncover the mastermind behind the revenge account before it’s too late.
Don’t forget to check out some of the previous episodes featuring other talented authors and their wonderful books. Here are a couple of them (selected at random from the podcast’s 200+ episode backlist):
Episode #167 Author Patricia Grayhall discusses her memoir, Making the Rounds, a coming-of-age story set in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Defying expectations, Patricia came out as a lesbian at the age of 19 and pursued her dream of becoming a medical doctor. In Making the Rounds, Patricia shares what it was like for her as she tried to have both love and a medical career at a time when society disapproved of both for a woman. She hopes her story can serve as a survival guide for others who are told their passions or ambitions are wrong.
Episode #067 Author Terri Wangard discusses her newest release titled, Roll Back the Clouds. It is a story that takes place during WWI on the ill-fated, final voyage of the Lusitania in 1915. Terri has published other historical fiction novels as well, including a series set during WWII. Terri has always been a writer, a lover of libraries, and a student of history. She has degrees in both history and library science, and she puts them to good use writing her own stories.
One more thing . . .
This newsletter has become my primary source of posting information about myself, my books, my podcast, my writing journey, and those bits my personal life that I’m willing to share publicly. I don’t post on social media except to announce things: book releases, podcast episode releases, newsletter updates, and discounts on my books. I’ve also stopped scrolling on social media.
The upsides are that I’m saving a lot of time and avoiding the depressing trap of comparing myself to others. The downside is that I don’t use social media to keep up with friends or engage much with readers. My hope is that people will find my newsletter and engage with me here. Time will tell. Until then, I’m going to continue to enjoy the freedom I’ve found in my limited use of social media.
Do you use social media? Have you found your use has changed over time? What would make you quit altogether?