Writing Update - June 2026

Well, here I am. Almost half of 2026 has passed, so it's time to assess my writing progress for the year.

Unfortunately, the last couple of months have been fraught with surprises from a publishing platform and a newsletter service, which means I've wasted more time than I care to think about on those issues.

I did a complete redesign of my website so I could have nice landing pages and stop using Books2Read (and to make the site more flexible with many browser sizes). A hefty time sink... And I now no longer have my titles available at any of the small retailers because I pulled them from Draft2Digital.

The newsletter problem isn't too bad (yet), but I had to deal with streamlining forms and welcome automations. It completely disrupted my flow last week.

Oh, and trying to focus on writing with kids home for the summer is always a trial. Especially when I'm attempting to prepare one of those kids for college in fall. I spent all day yesterday making a list of dorm items and shopping Amazon Prime Day for many of them. Writing time? Hahahahaha.

Anyway, I've complained enough. Before the tribulations above, I actually had a greatly productive year. So let's see where I'm at, shall we? And if you want to revisit my goals, you can check them out at 2026 - A Novel In A Year!

2026 Publications

❦ Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - Published on May 27, 2026

Yay! Moira's story arc is finally complete. Now go look at the Hell Of An Unlife landing page on my shiny redesigned website. While you're there, maybe buy a copy?

❦ Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (Magic Morsel, 2) - Late Fall/Early Winter 2026

I'm still on track to complete and publish the novel in a year. Kind of. The first draft is DONE! Quite an accomplishment writing that in five months. Though my revision notes exploded on me, unfortunately. I've started the revision, but I'm currently about two weeks behind schedule. And I now have an unexpected vacation planned in October, so we'll see if I can get everything in order before then (eek!).

2026 Writing Progress

❦ Drafted 78,145 words of Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (and revised 3,225 words so far).

❦ Edited & Published 17,095 words of Hell Of An Unlife.

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams) audiobook. Didn't expect this one, did you? Well, it's super early stages. I'm taking narrator auditions on ACX for it right now. Aiming for royalty share because I don't currently have a lot of startup cash. I figured it was time to dip my toes in the audiobook waters.

❦ Okay, I missed March for blog posts, and I'm skipping June for my newsletter. Life happens.

❦ Capricon was awesome this year! Hey, I sold books (actually sold out of Fairies - Fractured and Uncut). And I'm going to register for next year this week! ;)

❦ Social Media - I was posting more often... But my patience and exhaustion level for dealing with social media has dwindled. It's taking a backseat due to all the other stuff that's more important.

❦ Marketing - I've actually been experimenting with Bookbub ads for the Devil Made Me series. Planning a Facebook ad soon.

❦ SPFBO XI - Sadly, Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned didn't squeak into the semi-finals. Alas, I write on! And all 10 finalists will be announced by the end of this month - I plan to highlight them in my next newsletter.

❦

See, it's not all doom and gloom. Just recent doom and gloom. Hopefully the Universe is done throwing speed bumps in my path and I can get back on track with the revisions of Gorgon Bitten. If not, then I'll push the publication to 2027 if need be. Must be flexible. Let's see how the second half of 2026 actually treats me...

2026 - A Novel In A Year!

So... Let's see if I can write a novel from start to publication in one year! XD I really hope I'm not setting myself up to fall flat on my face, but seven days into 2026, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I've already written 3k words of Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (Magic Morsel, 2), so I'll ride the wave of optimism for now.

Last year was great for writing, and I intend to keep up the momentum. Plenty to do to get a novel drafted, revised, edited, and prepped for publication. But I also have a few other goals for 2026. Time to get into the nitty-gritty.

2026 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

Same as the last couple of years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. =P

2026 Publications

❦ Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - Spring 2026

❦ Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy (Magic Morsel, 2) - Fall 2026

Hey, at least Hell Of An Unlife is already revised. And it's the last title in the series! Consider grabbing the first three if you haven't already, starting with Hell Hath No Fury.

2026 Writing Goals

❦ One novel in a year!

❦ Edit & Publish Hell Of An Unlife.

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, & Publish Once Gorgon Bitten, Twice Shy - It was really easy slipping back into the world of Morthmagica, and here's hoping it stays that way!

❦ Plan the third Magic Morsel novel (currently untitled) and/or plan Blood Stains the Soul (Trinity Torn, 3)

❦ Newsletters - 9 scheduled again.

❦ Born to Write - One post a month, with a break in August.

❦ Networking - Capricon again in February, but no readings or panels. I'll still have paperback copies of my books available, if you'd like to buy a signed copy!

❦ Social Media - More Instagram and Tiktok posts! Last year I kind of forgot about all that. Oops. Reminders set in Todoist now - lol.

❦ Marketing & Promo - Likely more Facebook and Amazon Ads, depending on how much I feel like gambling (because that's totally what it feels like to me when I run ads).

❦ SPFBO XI - Yes, back to Self-Publishing Blog-Off, and the eleventh year of the contest! Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) got through the lottery (I like to say it won the 50/50 because there were around 600 submissions this year), and has been assigned to Fantasy-Faction. Fingers crossed that the novel makes it to the semi-finals at least!

That's what I got for the year. The caffeine flowing through my system from my Chai is bolstering my optimism at the moment, but we'll see how I feel once my youngest, who has an upset stomach, gets home shortly. Heh.

If you have any writing goals for the year, please join us in the Writing Quest group, where we support each other in our progress (or commiserate when walls prevent that progress).

Happy 2026, all! And here's the obligatory bullet journal pic.

2025 - Smashed It!

Wow. That's the only word I have at the moment. Just, wow.

Okay, I guess since this is a blog post, I should attempt to elaborate. 2025 was crazy productive. Guess the Double Time worked? Maybe. Successfully tricking my brain could have been a fluke. I guess we'll see in 2026 when I shoot for the stars without the sneaky brain tricks. Lol.

But I need to focus on 2025 and all that I accomplished before revealing my goals for next year, huh? Yeah. Save all those new goals for another post.

If you'd like to check what my original plan was for this year, take a look at 2025 - Double Time? - I did veer off track, but definitely in a good way! I mention some of the planned changes in Writing Update - June 2025.

Let's see what I actually got done, though...

2025 Publications

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1)

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8)

❦ Hell's Bells (Devil Made Me, 3)

Yes, I published three titles this year - one more than originally planned. Smashed it!

2025 Writing Progress

❦ Revised, edited, and published Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned.

❦ Drafted, revised, edited, and published Intricate Agony.

❦ Drafted, revised, edited, and published Hell's Bells - the drafting was planned, the rest was not!

❦ Drafted and revised Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - not planned at all!

❦ Edited Hell Hath No Fury and Hell On Wheels (Devil Made Me, 1 & 2) - mentioned in my June update, and then it took longer than expected.

❦ Downward Spiral (Urban Unicorn, 1) - this draft is now on hold, and I'll be jumping into the next Magic Morsel draft instead come January.

2025 Writing Tasks

❦ Newsletters - 9 sent, as intended, though more new release and cover reveals than planned.

❦ Born To Write - 11 out of 12 months, but that works for me.

❦ Networking & Social Media - Capricon 45 was attended, including the excerpt reading, but I fell flat on my face with the social media.

❦ Marketing & Promo - Did some Facebook Ads, and I also ran Amazon Ads when Dragon Stone was in Kindle Unlimited.

❦ Yes Writing, Screw Cleaning - my house definitely shows I stuck to this goal in 2025 - heh.

2025 Numbers

Yay, I made it to my favorite part of the post! All the numbers!

❦ Words Drafted = 41,635

❦ Words Revised = 78,999

❦ Total Words Drafted & Revised = 120,634 (A good chunk of my 150k For Funsies goal!)

❦ Words Edited = 79,156

❦ Hours Spent Drafting, Revising, & Editing = 272.58

❦ Hours Spent On Cover Art, Formatting, & Publishing = 48.75

❦ Total Hours Spent On Writing & Writing Tasks = 425.25

Wow. I'm stuck on that single word again. My total hours are equitable to 2023 (not 2024 - ha), but I spent more time drafting and revising this year, plus I averaged more words per hour. Just, wow. It feels awesome to have accomplished so much. Here's hoping I keep up the momentum. The end of this year has been kind of meh, but I think I deserve a little downtime. XD

I hope everyone else is happy with their 2025 and looking forward to 2026!

Writing Update - June 2025

Holy shit, what an awesomely productive writing year so far! I have to scream it to the four quarters as loud as possible, as it's an insane rarity for me.

*shouts as loud as I can about how much writing I've gotten done*

OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's get down to business. First order, my word counters to the left. Right now it's just my For Funsies tracker, and this is because I totally haven't been updating the current project one while plowing through shorter titles. Too much of a pain in the patoot. I'll bring it back when I start drafting another novel, which will be later this year. *knocks on wood*

For a refresher on what my goals for the year were, visit 2025 - Double Time?... or don't. You can read on without any context. Fine by me. XD

2025 Publications

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - April 16, 2025

Yes, it was published on time (actually slightly early, as my original target was late May). Right now you can find the ebook and paperback on Amazon, and it's also available via Kindle Unlimited. Barnes & Noble also has a paperback version. The ebook will be available at all other major online retailers in October (and at that time it'll no longer be in Kindle Unlimited).

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - July 30, 2025

Wait, wasn't I going to publish this one in fall? Yup. I'm currently revising this story (which clocked in close to 12k for the initial draft), and it should be ready to move to the editing stage in a couple weeks. Plus my newsletter subscribers are getting a sneak peek of the cover today!

❦ Hell's Bells (Devil Made Me, 3) - Late Fall/Early Winter

Not only am I publishing titles early, I'm also adding a third to the publication list this year! The first draft has been written, and wow, Moira is as snarky as ever. A little bit of Christmas in Hell, too.

2025 Writing Progress

*takes a deep breath* This is going to be a fun list!

❦ Revised 35,023 words of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, and edited all 79,516 words. Published, as stated above.

❦ Drafted 11,509 words of Intricate Agony (and I'm currently 5,866 words into the revision).

❦ Drafted 14,184 words of Hell's Bells.

❦ Drafted 15,942 words of Hell Of An Unlife (Devil Made Me, 4) - What the hell (excuse my silly pun)? This wasn't on my original list of goals! Well, I wrote it anyway, and I'm still way ahead of schedule. This is the last title in the series, and I'm aiming to publish it in Spring 2026.

❦ Excluding editing, I've written and revised a total of 82,524 words so far this year. Over halfway through my For Funsies tracker. O.o

❦ I'll be sending my 5th newsletter out today, and I've actually written a blog post every month.

❦ Had fun at Capricon with my writer friends. Fiddling around with Amazon Ads for Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned and the Trinity Torn series (the latter is no longer wide, but in Kindle Unlimited now for a while). Facebook ads were pissing me off again.

2025 Writing Goal Changes

Aside from what was mentioned above in the other sections, I've also decided to veer off into another direction than what I originally had planned. Following the path that leads to the greatest dopamine hit!

❦ Downward Spiral (Urban Unicorn, 1) is back on the postponed list. I had so much fun with Lila and the wacko characters in Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, so I intend to dive into the next Magic Morsel novel instead! Title still to be determined. I'll likely draft it first and then settle on another twisted idiom.

❦ Not only do I have revisions and edits to do for Hell's Bells now, but I'd like to clean up Hell Hath No Fury and Hell On Wheels a bit. Not heavy revisions - likely an edit to line up better with my current voice/style.

❦ Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I'm starting to get the itch to return to the Trinity Torn series. No way am I starting the draft of the third novel this year, but I may try to read through the previous titles and note down all the threads that need tying up. I'm really hoping I can end the series in the next book (making it a trilogy)!

❦

What a long post! That's good, though. It means I've been keeping busy. And Double Time has been working splendidly. Oh, yeah, I'm still on the Yes Writing, Screw Cleaning bandwagon, too. Woe is my poor house. Maybe it'll get more attention next year. Or never...

2025 - Double Time?

Well, we're over a week into 2025, and I'm already hammering away at my yearly writing goals! There are too many projects I want to work on, so I'm trying to up my output, using the lure of oh-shiny-new-if-I-finish-sooner. We'll see how long I can keep it up, though. Must get past Quitter's Day at least!

I also need to publish a couple titles this year, since last year ended with me only finishing my serial episode posts for Magic Morsel on Kindle Vella. My optimism is high right now, and I actually have hidden goals underneath my typical goals.

Double time. What does this mean? I have a certain word count planned for each week - that's my minimum, and the goal that would mean I'm still trucking along at a regular pace. But my extra goal is doubling all of it.

The information below does NOT include the double time, as it's mostly a personal challenge. Plus I'd rather not promise the world and only deliver half. It'll be a nice cherry on top if I have extra announcements and/or publications later in the year, though, won't it?

Here we go with the mantras. No change, as they're perfect for me.

2025 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

2025 Upcoming Publications

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - Spring 2025

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - Fall 2025

Looks a lot like last year, huh? Well, aside from actual date estimates. This time, though, it's novel publication for the Magic Morsel title, after a revision (not too extensive, though). Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned might also be available on Amazon only for the first three months, releasing on other online platforms in Summer 2025.

2025 Writing Goals

❦ Yes Writing, Screw Cleaning - This should probably be a mantra, but it's me prioritizing more than anything - lol.

❦ Finish the revision of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned - I've been getting through this at a nice clip, so this goal will be in the bag in no time.

❦ Edit & Publish Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned - I'm excited to release this as a novel!

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, & Publish Intricate Agony - No stalling out on it this time. That means prodding my blah protagonist into action.

❦ Draft Hell's Bells (Devil Made Me, 1) - One of those projects I've been itching to return to.

❦ Draft Downward Spiral (Urban Unicorn, 1) - Yes, I'm pushing off the Zodiac Aegis series in favor of this series. We'll just say... Reasons.

❦ Newsletters - 9 planned/scheduled, and this year I'll be focusing on exclusive cover reveals and excerpts of my current work-in-progress. And I hope to build my list, too - so if you've been thinking of subscribing, Sign Up Here!

❦ Born to Write - Aiming for one post per month again.

❦ Networking & Social Media - Heading back to Capricon in February, and this year I'll be reading an excerpt from Dead As Dreams. If you'd like more info on when, shoot me an Email. And as far as social media goes, it's kind of hit or miss. Per usual, I'll keep posting on my Facebook Page with updates as needed. I hope to post pics to Instagram more often, but that can be crochet heavy at times. And Tiktok... Who knows if it'll even be around next month!

❦ Marketing & Promo - More fiddling with Facebook Ads. We'll see if I attempt any other ad platforms this year.

And that's what I hope to accomplish, minimally. I keep thinking if I can double time everything, I'll write so much more and jump into my extra goals! So here's hoping that excitement keeps me sustained, and I mash out ALL THE WORDS this year (without killing my keyboard).

Do you have any crazy goals for 2025? And how has the year treated you so far? If you're a writer looking to share your goals with a group of other writers throughout the year, please consider joining us at Writing Quest!

Writing bullet journal pic below of my current January progress.

2024 - Lots of Writing, Just Not Lots of Publishing

Well, the end of another year is nearing (that wording makes it sound like there's an echo - damned editor side of my brain), so it's time for me to reflect on all I accomplished. And freak out over how the last 12 months flew by so quickly. Like seriously, time messes with my head.

I got to say, even though I didn't publish a novel or short story, I'm quite proud with my output. Now to take a closer look!

2024 Publications

❦ Magic Morsel - I finished the first serial. Unfortunately, it now needs to move to series status, as Kindle Vella is closing its doors. You have until February 2025 to read it on Vella!

2024 Progress

If you'd like to compare the goals I posted at the beginning of the year, head over to the 2024 - Just Chill post.

❦ Drafted to the end of the first Magic Morsel novel, Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, and halfway through revisions!

❦ Started drafting Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8), but paused to figure out some issues with the story.

❦ Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Are you surprised I haven't worked on this? My priorities are shifting as well, so it's definitely on hold for at least another year.

❦ I sent out 8 newsletters, though one was just an announcement about SPFBOX, and only 4 SHU-WPF Spotlights.

❦ This will be the 9th post on Born to Write for the year. Not one post monthly, but still a decent amount!

❦ As for social media & networking... Went to Capricon, but ignored social media most of the year. I also posted mostly about my crochet projects and new Etsy shop, Speculative Stitches. Eh.

❦ I also entered Dead As Dreams into the SPFBOX contest. Unfortunately, it's been eliminated.

❦ Facebook Ads - I've used them on and off. I still feel like I'm throwing money away, though. It's a rough road getting my writing in front of new eyeballs!

2024 Numbers

Like Lila in Magic Morsel, I love numbers! However, unlike her, they typically don't love me. Let's see what I ended up with this year.

❦ I drafted 42,807 words.

❦ I revised 44,943 words.

❦ That's a total of 87,750 words, which is more than the previous year, and super close to my just for fun goal of 100k!

❦ No editing, but a lot of reading through my writing and working on world bibles. Oops, no number for this one.

❦ 136 hours spent drafting & revising. Less than last year, but that's mostly because of the lack of editing.

❦ Only 4 hours of cover art, formatting, and publishing. This is what happens when I don't publish something - lol.

❦ The grand total of time spent on writing and writing-related tasks this year was 227 hours. For a Just Chill year, not too shabby.

Was it my best year for productivity? No. But I still feel like I made nice progress. Especially since I had a whole month off in there to deal with the mind-numbing project of organizing Youngest's stuff (this doesn't just encompass her room, as she has a bunch of things downstairs, too).

Here's hoping 2025 will require a lot less organizing and cleaning. ;)

Writing Update - June 2024

Why yes, it's that time of year again where I talk about how nothing has gone to plan, everything has blown up in my face, and my goals have been scrambled beyond recognition. XD

OK, OK... I'm being a tad dramatic. Honestly, while my plans have been lightly beaten, they're not as over whipped as they could be at this point. If you don't remember what my hopes for the year were back in January, go visit the post 2024 - Just Chill.

Without further ado, onto the updates.

2024 Publications

❦ Magic Morsel - Kindle Vella Episodes - I've finished writing and scheduling all the episodes for the first serial! A new episode goes live every Friday, with the last two episodes scheduled to be posted on Friday, August 16. So, if you've been intending to read it, pop on over to Kindle Vella and give it a go.

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - No longer planned for 2024 (see details below).

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - Working title for the revised first serial of Magic Morsel into a novel. Possible publication this year still to be determined.

2024 Writing Progress

❦ I added about 38,000 words to Magic Morsel to reach the end of the first serial, which clocks in at 73,967 words. Yay, words!

❦ Intricate Agony... I actually started drafting this in April and got 4,850 words written. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the story. I have ideas aplenty, and I know how it will unfold, but I'm having issues with my main character. He's feeling like too much of a wet noodle. Plus the initial draft is insanely heavy on description, which is a departure from my usual style. I needed a break to let things settle and think things through, and I'll get back to it at a later date. This means there's no chance of publication this year, though. Sorry if you've been eagerly awaiting the next Fortunes of Fate story!

❦ What do you all think of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned for the first Magic Morsel title? I like it, but I'm definitely biased. ;) I've started in on a read through of the scenes, making notes for my world bible and revision plans along the way. This is taking longer than expected. And as I note down some questions I need to answer about this world (at least to myself, even if it doesn't show up in this novel), I realize the fleshing out of details and answering questions before I dig into revisions might take a while, too. So, right now I'm not sure if it'll be published this year or next. I may also be taking August off to tend to kids and house, which will disrupt my plans as always.

❦ I've sent out 4 of my 8 planned newsletters, 3 of which had SHU-WPF Spotlights.

❦ Capricon in February was fun! Met up with a couple writer friends, relaxed, bought yet more dice... I'm hoping we can go again next year.

❦ Facebook Ads were pissing me off, so I'm taking a break from them. I'm planning to run one in July, though, as Dead As Dreams will be discounted. Actually, several of my titles will be discounted on Smashwords for the whole month of July. Check out the Summer/Winter Sale starting on July 1!

❦ Finally, I entered Dead As Dreams into the SPFBOX contest (Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off 10)! I'll have a more detailed update about that in my next blog post.

And that's my writing year so far! Trundling along, moving forward, making progress. All good things. I still wish I'd move faster, due to all the stories I want to write and release into the world, but I'm trying to remind myself not to be too hard on myself. Just chill, right?

2024 - Just Chill

It's 2024, and I'm bringing lessons from 2023 with me.

Both publications last year were pretty stressful - I put in too many hours some days just to meet my deadlines. I really don't want to do that again.

So this year, if I have to move a deadline for my sanity, I will. I'm also not going to push myself to surpass last year's numbers. Just chillin' in 2024. Yup.

Now that doesn't mean I'm not going to be writing! Still plenty of projects to work on, and I'd probably die if I didn't write. ;)

I'm also sticking to the same three mantras. I like them. At this point they might be permanent.

2024 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

2024 Upcoming Publications

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8)

❦ Magic Morsel (New Kindle Vella Episodes, Plus Revising into a Novel)

Hey, look! No dates! Completely intentional. Though right now, the next Magic Morsel episode will go up on Kindle Vella on January 12, 2024. Four episodes are ready to go.

2024 Writing Goals

❦ Draft Magic Morsel and post new episodes to Kindle Vella until I've reached what I feel is a good ending for the first serial.

❦ Revise, Edit, and Publish Magic Morsel as a novel. And think of a good title because Magic Morsel will be the series name.

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, and Publish Intricate Agony - This story has been simmering in my mind for a while, but I kept having to put it off. I can't wait to continue the Fortunes of Fate stories!

❦ Draft Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Yes, this is getting pushed off a bit again, as I'm not touching it until the previous tasks are done.

❦ Newsletters - 8 scheduled for the year, 5 of which will include SHU-WPF Book Spotlights. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, please consider doing so. A free novel and three short stories just for joining - Sign Up Here!

❦ Born to Write - I'm hoping to write one blog post per month at least, but I'm not going to pressure myself into that. I'll at least keep you all updated on my writing progress!

❦ Social Media & Networking - I'm going to Capricon in February! It should be fun, as a couple of my writer friends are presenting. I've also narrowed my social media attention down to Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok (I do post my Tiktoks to Youtube, too). Just casual usage, though. Not going to try to use it as a marketing tool, as social interactions are a weakness for me, not a strength - heh.

❦ Marketing & Promo - I'm experimenting with Facebook Ads! It kind of feels like gambling to me, and I hate gambling. But the Ads for Authors courses at least made it all less daunting. So, testing, testing, testing.

Per usual, I have more writing goals planned if I happen to get all of the above done. But since I'm chillin' this year, I doubt I'll get to those.

How has your 2024 started? What do you have planned for this year? Are you going at a chill pace, or are you trying to push yourself to greater heights?

Obligatory pic of my bullet journal below. I felt I needed some rainbows in my life this month. XD

2023 - Frazzled But Fortunate

This was a rough year. I felt like I was rushing and pushing to get tasks done, which sucked. However, it was still a successful year.

This blog post is my last official writing task for 2023, and then I'm taking a two-week break (aside from working on my Bullet Journal, but that's more meditative than work-related). I need it. I'm exhausted. =P

Let's see how I fared with my goals overall...

2023 Publications

❦ Fairies - Fractured & Uncut (Fractured Fairies Collection)

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams)

Yes, I published both titles I'd intended to this year! Dead As Dreams being complete is the accomplishment I'm most proud of, though.

2023 Progress

Go ahead and pop over to 2023 - Year of Death and Dreams, if you'd like to compare this year's goals to what I actually completed.

❦ Revised, Edited, and Formatted Dead As Dreams (squee!).

❦ Revised/Expanded Immortal Woes.

❦ Edited and Formatted Fairies - Fractured & Uncut.

❦ Yet again, no words added to Gemini's Echo - this novel is going to turn into the new Dead As Dreams isn't it? You know, where I keep intending to work on it, but it keeps getting put off while I focus on other writing projects.

❦ Newsletters - sent out 6, but not all when I'd scheduled... Had to do some rearranging - heh.

❦ Born to Write - I kind of dropped the ball on blogging once per month. Other tasks and situations took precedence, though.

❦ Social Media - I've pretty much completely cut Twitter (sorry, not calling it the stupid new name) from my time and attention. Good riddance. But I've started posting videos to TikTok - this is way more satisfying, as I love the creativity that goes into making videos.

❦ Marketing - Yes, I got through more Ads for Authors courses! That was earlier this month. I did the Facebook Ads courses, and then I was ready to start some good, targeted ads, when Meta decided it would add a new "feature" that was preventing me from choosing an option on how to run my ads. I'm still waiting for them to fix this "feature" (they said by the end of this month - I'm not holding my breath), and then I'll be running a couple ads, including one to build my newsletter subscribers.

Guess what time it is? Number crunching time! Some hate it, I love it, so I'm throwing the numbers at you no matter what.

❦ No drafting done, since I spent my time revising and editing (though at the end of Dead As Dreams the amount I had to rewrite made it feel like I was drafting!).

❦ I revised a total of 73,687 words.

❦ I edited a total of 255,415 words (yikes!).

❦ 245 hours spent writing, revising, and editing (yes, I did double that number from last year).

❦ 53.75 hours creating cover art, formatting, and publishing.

❦ And the final total is (excluding reading and Haunted Unicorn jobs)... 424 hours spent on writing and writing related tasks! Last year I almost hit 190, so I more than doubled my time. No wonder why I feel frazzled. Also too many writing tasks that weren't actual writing, revising, or editing.

I honestly didn't realize how much time I put into writing this year until I typed up the numbers for the post (I hadn't even glanced at the totals on my handy spreadsheet before starting this post). I mean, I know it's not full-time hours, but I'm pretty amazed at all that I accomplished. Now to find a better balance, so I don't feel like I'm running as fast as The Flash to complete some of the tasks - lol.

How'd everyone else do in 2023? Writing or other goals?

Writing Update - June 2023

Yup, it's June. And every June, I wonder how the year is zooming by so fast. I'm also amazed at how quickly plans can change from one week to the next.

I'm of course talking about the publication of Dead As Dreams. May was a horrendous, anxiety-ridden month. And I'm glad it's in the rear view, but it forced me to change my plans. Again. That plan I had posted back in April? Boom.

I'll survive, though, and so will my writing. I just ended up juggling this year's plans a bit. Seems like this always happens. Maybe I should stick to making a 3-Month Plan instead of a 1-Year Plan. It might save my sanity slightly if I do - lol.

Anyway, if you'd like to see what the original plan for the year was, take a look at 2023 - Year of Death and Dreams. Otherwise, updates below!

2023 Publications

❦ Immortal Woes (Fractured Fairies, 1) - Revised and Expanded - July 12 - This ebook will be FREE at all online retailers!

❦ Fairies - Fractured and Uncut (Fractured Fairies, 1-7) - July 12

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams) - Fall 2023 - So this pretty much swapped places with the Fractured Fairies Collection.

2023 Writing Progress

❦ Revise Dead As Dreams - I've revised 45,256 words so far, and I'm estimating about 14,000 left to go. See, I just need a little extra time, so unless my world completely implodes on itself, fall of this year is a totally doable publication window.

❦ Revise/Expand Immortal Woes (Fractured Fairies, 1) - As of today, I've revised 3,071 words of this. My hope is to finish tomorrow, adding at least another 500 words. The original word count for this story was 2,500, so it'll be about 1,000 words longer!

❦ I've sent out 3 of the 6 Author Newsletters as well. But I haven't kept up with one blog post per month, sadly.

So I'm chugging along, even though not everything has gone as planned. After I finish the Fractured Fairies Collection and the revisions of Dead As Dreams, I'm likely going to shake my drafting plans up a bit as well.

We'll see what I tackle once I'm done with the revising and editing! Heck, maybe I'll even post about it once I decide. That 3-Month Plan idea is looking more and more tempting...

2023 - Year of Death and Dreams

Ominous post title this time, yes? Mwuahahahaha!

Enough of that. Nose to grindstone, focus on goals, make progress, etc. I have a lot to get done in 2023, and I'll be pushing myself to my writing limits, especially the first half of the year.

Here's the rundown!

2023 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

Do these seem familiar? They should. I've cut the mantras to three this year, but they're ones that have stuck with me for a couple years. And they might just hang around for many years ahead.

2023 Upcoming Publications

❦ Dead As Dreams (Saga of Souls & Dreams) - Spring/Summer 2023

❦ Fractured Fairies Collection (Untitled Thus Far, 7 stories) - Fall 2023

2023 Writing Goals

❦ Revise, Edit, and Format Dead As Dreams - And here's where the post title comes in. I'm determined to release this novel into the world this year, over 15 years after first starting it. Yikes. I ended 2022 46k into revisions, so I have a lot to go to reach the end (though I've already revised over 6k already this month!). I'll update my tracker to the left every time I have a new blog post.

❦ Revise/Expand Immortal Woes (Fractured Fairies, 1) - This first story with Grinka, Syndago, and the fairy brats feels off compared to the subsequent stories, so it's getting an update! In preparation for that story collection, of course.

❦ Edit and Format Fractured Fairies Collection - Simple enough, right?

❦ Draft Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - This will fill my second half of the year. It'll be nice to get some fresh words down, taking a break from revisions. I just need to convince myself not to fiddle with the next Fortunes of Fate story that's been brewing in my head.

❦ Newsletters - 6 scheduled for the year. And in the first one, I'll have a poll to vote on the Fractured Fairies Collection title. So if you want a chance to offer your input, make sure you Subscribe to My Author Newsletter!

❦ Born to Write - 1 blog post per month scheduled. Too much writing and revising to get done to plan more!

❦ Social Media & Networking - I'll be attending In Your Write Mind virtually again this year. I know they're planning to set up something for alums to promote, and I'll post about it once I know more. As for the rest of social media, yeah... Too much writing to do to deal with all that - lol.

❦ Marketing & Promo - I purchased Ads for Authors last year, and I'm hoping to squeeze in the chance to watch more of the videos for that. Then tackle Amazon and Facebook ads. Scary!

I'd love to get so much more done, but when planning my weeks, the time disappears so fast. Completing my list above will be quite the feat already! Of course I have a list of extra goals, just in case I smash the main ones out of the park.

What does your 2023 look like? Aiming to accomplish a lot, or hoping for a calm, low key year?

Quick pic of a bullet journal page below. Nice to have so many squares filled in already for days I've revised!

2022 - Broke The Cycle!

Did I accomplish everything I set out to do in 2022? No. But that's OK. I didn't have a crappy year, like so many other even numbered years. Hell, I actually wrote more days and wrote/revised more words than 2021. Woo hoo!

Of course, 2022 wasn't without struggles, including many other tasks devouring my attention (stupid, messy, house... which is messier than at the end of 2021, if that's at all possible - heh). Some months didn't include much writing progress. One of these days, I'll get the hang of writing more when the kids are home. Probably when they're ready to leave the house - lol.

But this post isn't about what I didn't get done. Nope. It's all about what I accomplished in 2022. So here's the rundown!

2022 Publications

❦ Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5)

❦ Do Not Go Gentle (Prequel to Dead As Dreams)

Only one of the two I planned on publishing, but at least I published two, even if one was originally unplanned.

2022 Progress

If you'd like to compare what I accomplished to what I had planned, take a peek at 2022 - Keep The Momentum Going. But if you're just curious about my final numbers, read on!

❦ Revised Nymphs Need Love Too.

❦ Revised 46,190 words of Dead As Dreams (not finished like I wanted, but a lot of progress).

❦ Drafted and revised Do Not Go Gentle.

❦ Added 8,979 words to Magic Morsel - 9 new episodes.

❦ Unfortunately, no words added to Gemini's Echo.

❦ Newsletters - all 5 sent out, as planned. Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession is complete!

❦ Born to Write - Hey, look at that, I blogged once a month. Twice this month, even.

❦ Marketing - I purchased the Ads for Authors course. However, I've only had a chance to watch a sliver of the videos, so I haven't experimented with more ads yet, aside from trying my hand at a couple Facebook ones before I bought the course.

Now for my favorite thing. It's number crunching time! Let's see all my totals.

❦ I drafted a total of 15,225 words.

❦ I revised a total of 63,055 words.

❦ I edited a total of 49,422 words.

❦ 123.47 hours spent writing, revising, and editing.

❦ 17.83 hours creating cover art, formatting, and publishing.

❦ And finally, 189.83 total hours on writing and writing related tasks (up to the time of this post, excluding reading and Haunted Unicorn Publishing work). I actually find this number quite interesting. It's lower than 2021, even though I wrote more days and produced more words in 2022. It either means I'm producing faster, or I spent less time with other writing tasks outside of drafting, revising, and editing. I'm guessing it's a mix of both.

I'm damned proud of all I accomplished, even if I shifted focus (for good reason) with some projects. Here's hoping that I'll be able to tackle all of my goals in 2023. Of course, that's for my January post. I hope you all had a great 2022!

Writing Update - June 2022

Is it writing update time already? How are we almost halfway through the year? Wow, time certainly does fly. Especially as an adult. How I miss those long summers as a kid...

OK, I'm getting off track. Seems like the theme of the year for me. Lots of distractions abound. Mostly life-related ones. Still trying to even out things with my health (physical and mental) and Youngest's mental health. Plus my dad passed earlier this year.

Now summer is throwing me for a loop with the million kid-related events scheduled (I try to not over-schedule stuff - I've never been a do everything parent, but Eldest seems to think she should do everything - she needs better time management skills, but I'm so not the one who's capable of teaching them to her - sigh). Plus the house is in a state of disarray due to an attempt at organization (decreasing the DOOM boxes) and projects (that need the organization done before they can be completed).

Through all the life distractions, though, I've been able to at least get some writing done! I'm not exactly where I wanted to be for progress at this point in the year, but I'm not at a standstill. So, let's take a look at what I've accomplished so far, and what I plan to juggle and change for this year's goals. If you'd like to see the original 2022 writing goals, visit 2022 - Keep the Momentum Going.

2022 Publications

❦ Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) - It lives! I published this back in April, so go snag a copy if you haven't yet.

❦ Dead As Dreams (novel) - Unfortunately, I have to delay the release of this until 2023. More details about it under 2022 Progress.

❦ Do Not Go Gentle (prequel short story to Dead As Dreams) - Yes, I've added this. Since I'm pushing off the novel, and I've had the idea for this short story for some time that's related to said novel, I'm hoping to publish this in Fall 2022.

2022 Writing Progress

❦ Revise, Edit, and Format Nymphs Need Love Too - DONE!

❦ Revise Dead As Dreams - Though I'm no longer publishing this in 2022, I'm still working on it. The revisions are just going slower than expected. I've clearly changed as a writer since I last touched this, and it needs more work than I thought! I've revised 32,406 words so far. About a third of the way through, and the back half needs a lot more work than the front half. This is still my main project. I will not put this novel off again!

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, Format Do Not Go Gentle - This is the new story. And since it's related to Dead As Dreams, weaving this into my schedule at least keeps me anchored in the same world as the novel. I'm aiming for a minimum word count of 5,000, but not sure where it will land once done. I've drafted 520 words on it so far.

❦ Draft at least 8 Magic Morsel episodes - I actually drafted 10 episodes (8,979 words)! I'm up to 39 episodes of Magic Morsel published. I'd love to get back to this at some point this year, but it all depends on revision progress with Dead As Dreams.

❦ I've sent out 2 Newsletters already, and I'll be sending out 1 more this week (maybe even today). And I've stuck to 1 blog post per month here on Born to Write - maybe I'll increase these again one day, but right now... life.

Yes, progress. Some shifting around of goals, though. It's OK. As long as I'm still moving forward instead of treading water. We'll see where I'm at again come the end of 2022. Until then, happy reading, all!

2022 - Keep The Momentum Going

OK, I can break that nasty streak of even years going to hell, right? Right. *cracks knuckles* Let's do this!

I am going to up my goals compared to 2021, and I'm hoping I'm not sabotaging myself by doing so. Must stay positive. I'm going to rock 2022!

All that optimism is rather saccharin for me - lol. Time to bring things back down to reality. If I get my two planned publications out this year, I'm going to call 2022 a win. Especially since one has been waiting its turn forever - time for it to claw itself out into the world.

Onward with the 2022 writing goals!

2022 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

❦ Sit And Get To It.

The first three are holdovers from the last couple of years, but the last one is new. Most times getting started is the hardest part, so no matter how I feel, if I have writing scheduled for the day, I'm going to sit down and attempt to get words out. If I sit there with nothing for a half hour, then I'll throw in the towel for the day - heh.

2022 Upcoming Publications

❦ Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) - Spring 2022

❦ Dead As Dreams (stand alone novel) - Fall 2022

2022 Writing Goals

❦ Revise, Edit, and Format Nymphs Need Love Too - this should be pretty easy. Not tons to tweak, and I always have fun with Grinka, Syndago, and the fairy brats.

❦ Revise, Edit, and Format Dead As Dreams - and here we come to the novel that has waited too long. This poor story has been fiddled with off and on since 2005! And I love it, so I just need to finish revisions already. Right now it's a stand alone, but I can't say I haven't had ideas for a sequel...

❦ Draft at least 8 Magic Morsel episodes - I'd love to add episodes to this on Kindle Vella each week for the rest of the year, but since I need to get other things done, it's just not feasible. This is my focus, though, the first couple weeks of January, so hopefully I'll have another two months of episodes before I take a break from it.

❦ Draft 20k words of Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Or I'll just add more episodes to Magic Morsel, depending on how I feel once Dead As Dreams is complete.

❦ Newsletter - I have scheduled 5 of these for the year; 2 for my releases, and the other 3 will each include two chapters of Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession. Yes, this means I'll be sending out the final chapter of that this year!

❦ Born to Write - At least 1 blog post per month (I know, I'm slacking on Marvel/MCU commentary, but writing comes before blogging, always).

❦ Social Media - Yeah, I'm not even sure what I want to do with this right now. I've had some ideas to fiddle with TikTok, but I so don't have the time to jump on that bandwagon at the moment. What do you think? What social media platforms would you prefer to see me interact more on?

❦ Marketing and Promo - I need to delve deeper into this when I get the chance to this year. Got to get my books in front of more eyeballs!

There you have it. Too ambitious? Just right? I mean, I also have a list of extra goals because I want to do all-the-things now. Damn it, time, why must you be finite?

What are your goals for 2022, writing or otherwise? Feel free to share. Either way, good luck, and may this year be less rocky than the last two!

P.S. Some Writing Bullet Journal pics below. At least the first full week of the year has started out well so far!

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Header Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

2021, Way Better Than Last Year

Can we say yay that 2021 was superior to 2020? Yay!

I mean, there were still plenty of bumps, but I actually made progress with my writing, including three publications. That's a big win for me.

This post is a bit earlier than usual, but unless I get the motivation to add more words to Magic Morsel before the end of the year, I'm calling myself done. Decompression break to prepare for a productive 2022. Yes? Yes.

Here we go with the data for 2021!

2021 Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7)

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4)

❦ Dawn of Fate (Fortunes of Fate 1-6 - Collection)

After nothing released in 2020, these three publications feel amazing. If you haven't grabbed a copy of one yet that you've had your eye on, treat yourself for the holidays!

2021 Progress

So, how exactly did I fare with the goals I set out for myself at the beginning of the year? If you'd like a reminder of what I had planned, wander on over to 2021 - This Year Has To Be Better.

❦ Completed revisions and edits of Well of Solitude.

❦ Completed revisions and edits of Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies.

❦ Completed drafting Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5).

❦ I only added 1,884 words to Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1)... BUT...

❦ Due to the announcement of Kindle Vella, I started drafting Magic Morsel. I've currently written 27,037 words on that project!

❦ No blog posts in August, but at least one all other months. And the newsletters went out as needed (I've decided December isn't the best newsletter time unless I have a holiday related title releasing).

❦ The Year of Cats kind of evaporated on Instagram. I'm still posting pictures there occasionally, though. Social media can be such a time sink!

Now for the nitty gritty. The big, overarching numbers for the year. You know, what I love. XD

❦ I drafted a total of 39,232 words.

❦ I revised a total of 17,934 words.

❦ I edited a total of 71,033 words.

❦ 104.75 hours spent writing, revising, and editing.

❦ 42.08 hours creating cover art and dealing with other publication tasks.

❦ And finally, 222.08 total hours on writing and writing related tasks (per usual, up to the time of this post, and this excludes reading as well as any Haunted Unicorn Publishing work).

Wow, I hit most of my goals. How'd that happen? I mean, Magic Morsel ousted Gemini's Echo, but I wrote almost 29k words between the two projects. That puts me at 13k short of my word count goal for Echo. With some ups and downs throughout the year, that's damned good for me. And a million leagues better than 2020.

I've already planned 2022, so watch for that post in the first week of January. Even years seem to be a thorn in my paw, but I'm determined to break that cycle. But more about that in the next post.

Happy holidays, all, and try to enjoy the rest of your 2021 before it disappears!

NaNo 2021 - Final Wrap-Up

Where exactly did the month of November go? Well, it's gone. That's for sure - lol.

My kids failed as spectacularly as I did. Maybe if I had pushed myself more, they would have as well. But as usual, November ended up being such a rough time to write. Between planning holiday gifts, Thanksgiving, and some family issues to deal with this year, the second half of the month blew up in my face.

I did add 6495 words to Magic Morsel, so I exceeded 2020's total. And hey, I have episodes scheduled for that on Kindle Vella through the end of the year now. ;) Any progress is good progress, yes? Yes.

My 25k goal was still overly ambitious, though. That goal changed the first week, as I felt burned out after three days straight of writing. I think next year I'd rather take a look at my monthly word count average, and then aim to up it slightly for November. Now, if I remember that, all the better. In all likelihood, I'll want to try to torture myself yet again with an insane goal because... NaNo!

It's time to take a look back at how 2021 went and plan for 2022, which will be my next two upcoming blog posts.

I hope all of those who tackled the NaNoWriMo challenge are happy with their accomplishments for November, even if 50k wasn't reached!

Writing Update - May 2021

I felt it was time for a writing update. Though as I started writing this post, I realized I'm behind on posting Chapter 27 of Chains of Nect! Oops. It'll have to wait until next week or June (I'd say the first week of June, but since I'm due for my second vaccine, I may be out for the count that week). May has been a bit of a crazy month. =P

Anyway, I can at least say I'm happy with my progress for the year so far. I feel much better than I did at this time in 2020 as far as my writing goes, though May has been a bit of a bumpy month for motivation.

The best thing for 2021 at this time - I'm ahead of schedule! I know, kind of crazy, isn't it? I always feel perpetually behind most years. I guess I aimed my goals in the sweet spot this time. If you want to peek at my original 2021 plan, here's the link: 2021 - This Year Has To Be Better.

2021 Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) is out in the world. It felt amazing to finally publish something again.

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) is on track to be published in July. Hopefully I'll have a cover reveal next month!

2021 Project Progress

❦ Obviously I finished the revisions and edits for Well of Solitude. Yay!

❦ Revisions on Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies are complete, and edits are scheduled for next month.

❦ The first draft of Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) is complete! It came in around 10k words.

❦ I've already added 1.8k to the first draft of Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1). Here's hoping I exceed the 42k goal on that this year (knock on wood).

❦ I've been blogging at least once per month (sometimes twice), and I'm mostly on top of the newsletters. I've lapsed on posting my Year of Cats pictures on Instagram... I might have to blame video games for forgetting about that one so often - lol.

As you can see, I've had a pretty productive writing year already!

If I happen to finish the first draft of Gemini's Echo early, I'll dive into another one of my projects waiting in the wings. Should it be the Dead As Dreams revision, the Downward Spiral draft, the next Fortunes of Fate draft, or continue Zodiac Aegis with Taurus's Aura? What do you think?

Happy reading and writing, all!

2021 - This Year Has To Be Better

I won't do it. I won't talk about The-Year-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. That was the last post. This post is looking toward the future, and I'm mustering as much optimism as I can (this can be a difficult task at the best of times, for me at least) for 2021.

To go with that optimism, I've turned down my usual goals to about half. This is mainly because I have kids in and out of face-to-face, blended, and virtual learning, and I have to be adaptable. I will be adaptable if I want to keep going with writing instead of coming to a screaching halt again. And I've already proven to myself I can be adaptable this past Monday and Tuesday while Eldest was in Zoom classes. Headphones are a wonderful thing...

Anyway, Happy 2021! On with the goals!

2021 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

❦ Embrace My Process.

Not much different from last year, aside from that second one. I think these are all great mantras to have that may persist for many years.

2021 Upcoming Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) - Spring 2021

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) - Summer 2021

❦ Fortunes of Fate Collection #1 (Fate 1-6) - Fall 2021

2021 Writing Goals

❦ Revise and Edit Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) - I'm feeling more confident with what I need to do in the re-write of this story now, which is good. I've already gotten through another 501 words, and my brain is itching to continue it tomorrow. Slow but steady on this one, though.

❦ Revise and Edit Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) - This likely won't need too much work, but it will sure be fun to poke at Grinka and the fairies.

❦ Draft Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) - Now, my brain has been going a million miles an hour on ideas for this since drafting Bytes Bite in June. The only foreseeable problem is that due to all of the elements I want to weave in, it's going to turn out rather long. Novella?

❦ Draft at least 42k of Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Yes, I know this looks like I'm abandoning Dead As Dreams and Downward Spiral, but when your brain loosely maps out an entire arc for a 13-book series... Not looking a gift horse in the mouth. We'll see how it goes, though. I could always abandon ship and go back to the others. You can always realign my focus - just post a comment or send an email. What novel series do you want me to work on?

❦ Author Newsletter - 1 every other month, plus extras for releases. Trying to keep it simple for now. Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession chapters for the most part.

❦ Born To Write - At least 1 blog post per month.

❦ Social Media - Have fun trying to post a cat picture every day on Instagram (which will also be posted to Twitter/Facebook). Year of Cats!

I'm feeling a little bit of deja vu with this post, but we won't talk about why... because I promised.

That's what it all boils down to for me this year, though. Not as much as I'd like to get done, but hey, it's better than nothing. Progress counts.

What are your goals or resolutions for 2021? Are you happy to have a fresh start in the new year? Feel free to share with me! Happy writing and reading. =)

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2021 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

2020, I'm Breaking Up With You

Sorry, 2020, but I'm ending it.

I'd like to say it was a good run, but if I'm being honest, it was painful. Excruciating. Torturous.

I know the grass is always greener saying, but 2021 has a twinkle in its eye. It may treat me just as badly - that's a chance I'm more than willing to take at this point. Anything has to be better than this.

Unfortunately, I can't say it's me and not you. Because it's totally you. You've treated me (and many others) horribly.

I'd like to think I'll eventually look back on this time with a few fond memories. Nope. No way in hell.

You scrambled my senses, laughed at my aspirations, and made sure my progress stagnated. Your time was always more important than my own. Utter selfishness.

The only positive I can pull from all of this is that you likely made me stronger, more willing to adapt as needed, even if it means doing something I never imagined doing before. Isn't that always the case, though? We learn from the bad. And, oh man, you were bad.

So, with a sigh of relief, I bid you adieu. All the cliches come to mind: don't let the door hit you on the way out, you're getting kicked to the curb, miss you never, sayonara sucker. Ad nauseum.

That time of yours you so valued above my own? Yeah, it's run out.

❦

Author Note: I hope you liked my Dear John letter of sorts. I'm sure many of you are feeling something similar! I won't be talking about what I didn't accomplish with my 2020 writing goals, as I think the above says enough. Next week it'll be 2021, and I'll have a fresh new post with my goals for the New Year. Happy reading!

Image by Jazella from Pixabay

It's Been A While - June 2020 (Writing Update)

The Staind song aside (yes, it's stuck in my head now), it has been a while since I posted. Actually, I was supposed to post last week. And I had the post all written up. Then the new Blogger interface ate it. Yes, gobbled it up.

I was having issues with the new interface to begin with (30 minutes to add tags to my post, no thank you), and I'm decidedly not thrilled with it. Heck, I was furious with it last Thursday. So, I'm now writing up my posts in Scrivener, and I managed to revert back to the legacy interface on Blogger (and I'll keep it like that until they pry it from my cold, dead hands).

I'm a little less cranky about it. OK, not really, but I'm currently channeling Grinka.

Yes, I'm back to writing! And though it wasn't on my schedule, I'm drafting the next Fractured Fairies story, currently titled Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies. And I already have the urge to write the next story, too.

Thankfully the anxiety has lessened a bit, and I'm done homeschooling my kids for the school year. The world is still in a bit of a tumult, obviously, but I won't get into my feelings over all of it because then the anxiety starts to rear its ugly head, and I can't have my mental health completely deteriorating on me.

For now, I'm writing again, and that feels great. Who knows what will happen come Fall, though - more homeschooling? Until then, I'm going to keep plowing ahead.

The yearly plan has been completely uprooted, of course. I never seem to learn with this whole planning thing. It never works out. My best laid plans don't just go astray, but blow up in my face in spectacular fashion. I kind of do feel like Grinka sometimes. Let me tell you, her current plans aren't unfolding as she wished either. Per usual, it's all the fairy siblings' fault.

Anyway, here's how the year currently stands. If you'd like to compare it to my original plan, you can find it on the 2020 - Keep On Rollin' post.

2020 Upcoming Publications

❦ Well of Solitude (Fortunes of Fate, 7) - Fall 2020 - Yes, I've now pushed this out 6 months later than originally planned. It's also the only publication that I now have planned for 2020.

2020 Project Progress

❦ Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession - Rough draft complete - yay! And I've already sent out one of the brand new chapters in my Author Newsletter, which means I'll be posting it here in July, as well as on Wattpad.

❦ Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) - Again, this wasn't on the original plan for the year. I'm almost 7k into the rough draft, though, and I might have 2-3k left. I really needed to let loose with Grinka, Syndago, and the fairies before getting back to more serious stories.

❦ Well of Solitude - I'm about 4k into the revisions of this. I'd just started working on it when the pandemic hit the fan, so to speak. Once I finish the rough draft of Bytes Bite, I'll be returning to this. However, I was wrong, it likely won't turn into a novella. My brain finally resolved some issues I had with the story, but it means more of a re-write for half of it, instead of just a revision. I'm hoping it will still come in around 16k when all is said and done.

❦ Dead As Dreams, Fortunes of Fate 8, and Downward Spiral are now all on pause. I'm not sure when I'll reschedule them. It completely depends on what school looks like for the kids in Fall. Drafting is much easier than revising with the kids around, and humorous fantasy flows a lot better while all the serious stuff swirls around in reality. I think planning only one project at a time is the best bet right now.

❦ My main goal for the rest of the year is to keep on plugging away and pushing forward. The good thing is, even with all the anxiety, the ideas never stopped coming, and some are bugging the hell out of me. I want to write all the things NOW. So, once I'm done with the Bytes Bite draft and the Well of Solitude revision, I'm going to let my brain pounce on whatever project asserts itself the most next (at the moment, that's another Fractured Fairies story, but that could always change).

❦ Nope, not discussing blog posts or newsletters. No way.

That's what things look like for me, though. I hope among the tumult, you've all been able to find at least a sliver of focus on something (anything, maybe even reading). Now let's hope I don't have to type this post up a third time.