31 Dec 5 New Year’s Goals I Think I Can Keep

The New Year is upon us and though I’m having the itchy desire to start making resolutions I won’t keep, I’ll be doing something a little different this year. Firstly, I won’t call them resolutions. I have a long history of not being resolute about anything. It’s too much pressure and I only do well under certain types. Oh ho! {insert rimshot}

I’m going with My 2021 Goal List.

Amongst the many things I’m goaling for, including lofty health, financial and personal growth goals, I am putting an emphasis on my writing.

I have had a very creative career. I’ve been self-employed since ‘09, and though I love what I do, nothing fulfills me like writing does. Nothing ever will. For that reason, it is my ultimate goal to spend most of my time doing just that. As a result, I’ve decided to give it the full attention it deserves so it can start serving me as more than a cute little hobby.

This requires me to make some changes in my process and intentions and the first step in manifesting anything is setting it in writing. So here we go!

1. CONSUME LESS/PRODUCE MORE

Anyone who knows me knows I have consumed a lot of media in my lifetime, particularly movies. I love a well-told character-driven visual story which is why I gravitate towards French films. They’re not trying to sell you a fantasy. This is the story. Damned how you feel about it.
This influence has seeped into my writing style so if you read a story from me, don’t expect a happy ending (more on this later).

I have been a heavy consumer though, and now it’s time to flip things and become a producer. I want to become more prolific. This means setting real writing goals and eliminating distractions. I just came from a 30-minute TikTok binge. I know this because I set a timer for 15 minutes and I pushed it twice.

Between projects, I need to dedicate all my time to writing and reading. Although reading is a version of consumption, it only serves to inspire me to write more.

I have already developed a good daily writing habit, which is half the battle. I simply need to increase output. I have a zillion ideas and I won’t be able to get them out if I don’t maximize my time on them.

2. CONNECT MORE

I am an ambivert, meaning I love people, can easily draw attention to myself and love being the center of attention. At the same time, people can be draining and the comfort of my own space is the best thing in the world. Lately, I’ve been far more of a hermit, and that was pre-pandemic.

Started with a mild case of depression and not enough sleep. I’ve been withdrawn on social media for quite some time and I barely have the energy to do anything for my writing. If I want to take a serious stab at writing, I can’t operate in this black hole. I know I need to be far more open, not just personally, but professionally.

Truthfully, I’ve been a little reluctant to share my work because of what I do write. I’m not embarrassed, just cautious. Writing Romance/Erotica for many is still considered salacious, especially those who don’t consume it and considering I have a whole extended family who think they’re the best thing since Jesus walked the earth, I’ve been hesitant to claim and share my work with them.

There are literally only two people that know I write and that is my husband and a nurse at the hospital I practically lived in last year, who saw me writing and got really nosey. She begged me to tell her what I write and I refused to tell her until I published it.
Welp, she’s now the first to pick up my book babies.

It occurs to me that if I want to make a real go at this, I’ll need to open up more, put myself out there. Does it mean I’ll be rolling up with a megaphone to certain folks to let them know? No. Just means I’m going to promote myself more without fear of their judgment and I will make more of an effort to connect with people that interest me, on and offline.

I love writing about the relationship dynamics of women (lights up my brain like a lightbulb), I love writing about women of color and I like writing about sexy time. Sue me!

Sharing will come in the form of social media, blogging consistently and sharing my work with people I trust will be interested, not for what I write, but why and who I write for. I need to build a list of fans and I can’t do that hiding in a corner and doing the bare minimum.

3. PUBLISH HIGHER QUALITY WORK

I get super excited about publishing my next book. I will work for weeks and I will go through several rounds of edits only to find my book is full of errors as soon as I scan the first few pages through the Look Inside feature on Amazon. I cringe at myself and then spend the next week scurrying through another round of edits for my readers’ benefit. As I write this, I worry I may post this with errors I totally missed. I will undoubtedly fix it later.

As a self-published author, a good editor can get expensive and won’t quite pay for itself just yet. So it’s all up to me, which means I’ll have to give my books a little more time to breathe between the writing and editing process. When you’re so close to the work, it doesn’t matter how many times you read through it. A familiarity blindness causes you to skirt over basic mistakes only time can overcome.

A great reading experience for my readers is important for me though. I know how high and mighty I get when I find one too many errors in other works so I should hold myself to the same standard.

It goes beyond typos though. Every editing round allows me to refine the words I previously penned, allows me to add color where needed, helps improve pacing, catches inconsistencies and grammar gaffs. In hindsight, I would’ve added one more sexy encounter to my first book At the Deep End. A reviewer called that out and when I looked at it again, I certainly cheated my readers out of a few more intimate moments. It would’ve meant a few more editing rounds, but it would’ve been worth it.

By that same measure, my latest work The Bluest Christmas, could’ve used an epilogue. I created a scenario in which one of the characters’ story went beyond the Christmas timeframe. I honestly thought readers would be okay with her story being unresolved because the story wasn’t really about her. A bit of editing breathing room would have probably exposed the fact that I needed to close that box I opened. I’m perfectly okay with some loose ends. Some people are not.

If you’ll trade your time for my work, the least I can do is put out the best product possible. This means a longer wait between publishing times for now, but better stories in the long run. I aim to please.

4. ACCEPT CRITICISM AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

When I decided to take a stab at publishing my work earlier this year, I did so with zero expectations. Every time I read a really good book, I felt the characters in my head telling me (you know this could be you right?). So I listened, published my first work, and I braced myself for feedback that has been coming in slower than molasses.

Truth is, I didn’t mind that. It’s not like I stepped on the scene like I belonged. I threw my book out there and hid under the table to see if anyone was going to throw it back. But no one has…except for that one reviewer who told me my follow up book, To Be Loved by Mia was good, but docked two stars because she hated the ending and threw in a spoiler for good measure. (I choose to focus on the good…I choose to focus on the good.)

After I got over myself, I revisited the review and noticed she literally explained the issue. Although I write about romantic senarios, I don’t see myself as a “romance author.” I write about “women” and I set it around relationships that may or may not end romantically at all.
But I understand that I will land in those categories and with that, comes expectations. It’s up to me to write a description that sets up my readers properly. I’ve learned that the description is way more than about enticing readers to take a chance on your work, but to let them know what they’re going to get.

I’ve since revised my description to explain, HEA is not guaranteed in the most creative way possible. It directly affects my ratings. I have two books currently sitting at 5 stars on Amazon and I have some decent ratings on Goodreads. And although ratings can fluctuate wildly, I believe it will continue to affect the overall rating of my books positively in the long run. Regardless, critical feedback is inevitable. It is my job to produce the best story possible and set expectations properly. I won’t win everyone over, but I can mitigate how pissed off they get.

5. GET FOCUSED

Besides procrastination, I have a focus problem. As we speak, I’m currently working on three different stories. Unlike some writers, I never really suffer from writer’s block. I may get stuck in which direction to go, but I’m never without a story idea I know will interest readers.

As a result, I have a hard time finishing off books in an efficient manner. This is important for editing purposes. I spend so much time writing, I leave little room for editing and it affects the final product by the time I first publish it.

I have a bit of self-diagnosed ADD. My brain gets a little bored and loves the shinyness of a new idea, and they come often. I just can’t get them out fast enough. Sometimes when I do get stuck, it does make sense to shift gears, but seeing as my new goal is to put out far more work and still keep it as professional as possible, I need to push through those idea distractions and knock out those stories. Not only will it leave more time for editing, I’ll get more stories out faster.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: BE A BESTSELLER

This feeds into a bigger overall goal of becoming a national bestseller. For now, I’d like to conquer the little leagues.
I write because I love it, but have to admit, it would feel real nice to be on a list that says, A whole bunch of people thinks your work is awesome Bish!

I write for myself, and some things, I write for others. It speaks to the tiny little ego I allow out of its cage to rage out every now and then.

Currently, I’m writing in a niche within a niche, AA romance lesbian books. Now that it’s been established I can write a story people want to read, I’ll be expanding my talents into other genres. I love a good rom-com and suspense/mystery/thrillers are my jam. I’ll be throwing some darts there and see if anything sticks.

All this requires me to step out of my comfort zone and set myself up for success. A passive approach to this won’t work. My ultimate dream goal is to see my name on some of those major lists. I want to do it with a black female lead of course. Now if I could just add a few more hours to my days, I can get it all done.

I think I can handle this. Looking forward to seeing how it serves me December 31st, 2021.

What are your goals?