8 Goals for 2018 (And How I Will Accomplish Them)

New year and new challenges. My life as an author is growing. Here are the ways I plan to challenge myself further and ride the new year momentum to have my greatest year as an author to date.

 

Let’s start with a recap. Last year, I took a leap of faith and promised myself I would st at faithful until something spectacular happened. Well, it did. My debut release, The Alpha’s Dream was well received. The feedback was amazing, and the good reviews far outweighed the bad. Even more so, my readers reached in. They sent me emails, left reviews, and found me to ask that I keep it up.

I’ve never been so excited about a project in my life.

Still, it wasn’t without it’s flaws. I made a ton of newbie mistakes, and I lost faith a time or two. The piling on came after my youngest was born. Little darlings mean very little time to write. Yet, I managed. With the time I spent away from the keyboard, I tuned into every webinar, eCourse, and masterclass that I could that I believed would enhance my writing, and my other entrepreneurial feats in 2018. Now, I’m ready to put all of that in action.

I say all that to say, the goals I put here are lofty for me. They require tons of planning, lots of manipulation of my time, and unwavering determination. I have the ability to complete them all, and until I don’t, know that I will complete them all.

To begin…

I will publish six (6) bodies of work this year.

This year is all about planning and time management. I have quite a few projects on deck  and in order for me to execute them I am going to have work really smart. I can’t risk burn out or days off because of exhaustion.  So I’ve looked at my schedule and figured out how I can maximize my time to include two full releases, and four novellas. As long as my word counts are reasonable, I will be able to execute great products timely.

Here’s the thing, most of the authors in my genre publish 8-12 ebooks a year. This cycle of work keeps their readers engaged, and their coins jingling. It also keeps them glued to their laptop/desks/notebooks. Since I am a full time mom, all day every day, and a full time writer at night I have to be honest with myself about my writing and time. Six bodies of work has me publishing every eight (8) weeks. I have two bodies of work due for completion as I type this. Soon enough, I will start to drop the information on release dates, but know this. I’m asking a lot of myself to complete this, and I will not fail.

I will press submit on 60 blog posts.

I love blogging. I cannot begin to explain how much joy I get from working on these weekly snippets into my life. They are fun, and invite me to socialize in a way that would normally make me feel awkward. I plan to exploit this little slice of peace for as long as I possibly can. I’ve even decided to create a second blog. There will be more time to discuss that later,

What I can say for JocelynYoung.com is that it’s original purpose as a simple author blog has been superseded. What comes now is more resources for current, and would-be authors. I have a lot to share, and I know you can use it. So, come here for insights on my books and information on how to become your very own publisher.

Between this blog and the one I have in the works, I will undoubtedly hit my goal.

I will develop forty (40) new products for my Redbubble shop presence.

I fell in love with Redbubble when I was looking for stickers for decoration purpose. I love the shopkins stickers my darlings so willingly shared, but I only put them on things because they give them to me. Once I was hooked on Redbubble’s stickers, I started looking at even more things. Redbubble with its endless supply of snarky tee shirts, crazy designs on mugs, and its super cute totes was fun to walk through. I decided to create a shop of my own.

I’ve been compiling a list of ideas and products styles I’d like to see. Most everything is geared toward writers, and readers. Through Photoshop, Canva, and quite a few free for commercial use sites I will be spending my Sundays crafting and uploading new images for use.

At the end of last year, I decided to take my fun little side project seriously. I’ve been working to create a more cohesive look and more products that speak to my overall brand. I know you will love them. All you have to do is check out my Redbubble store and find your next favorite tote, journal, mug, and/or floor pillow.

 

I will develop 2 evergreen writing resources for current and would-be authors.

I’ve learned a lot over the last three years of my career. The road to publishing my own work first started with my being a co-writer on what turned out to be a popular series. I worked hard, and scrambled to learn everything I could, but found there were still gaps in what I knew. When I reached out, I was left empty handed. So, I decided to share everything I’ve learned about being an author. One of the ways I’ve decided to do that is through accessible resources. I want you to know what I know. I want you to learn from my mistakes, and I cannot do that if I don’t have a way to share it with you.

So, I’m currently fleshing out two resources that will surely help you in your writing process. I’ve largely used my needs as a writer to determine what resources come first. I’ll get into detail about what resources I’ll roll out first, but notAs I get closer to their development, I’ll share more details. You don’t have to worry it won’t be long.

I will grow my Facebook and Instagram presence by 20%.

It’s important to me to connect with my readers. Without you guys supporting The Alpha’s Dream, there is no way I would be able to continue writing as my only income. It’s my aim to be more accessible. My author Facebook page is up and active, and I’ve been creating new images for my Instagram and I have high hopes of reconnecting with some of the readers I started meeting there.

My Facebook and Instagram growth is all about consistency, and being able to show you guys who I am. Drop me a line when you get there. Let me know what it is you’d like to know about me. I’ll share a lot of myself, but there are still some things I’ll keep private. What I do share won’t be filler.

I will streamline my creation of characters, and outline process.

As I said in the beginning, I have a lot of goals and limited time to complete them. In order to do all that I have planned, I have to rework my process. The smoother I can make every piece of my process, the more fluidly the rest of my plans will go.

I’m developing the key points to each task so I can create a better system to address my process. By examining each aspect of my process and then determining the most critical components, I will then be able to create a system that will skip any filler portions.  Smarter, not harder work. I have hard work without making an effort.

I will complete four courses/webinars that will enhance my craft and/or entrepreneurial goals.

Information is powerful. In order to stay on top of my craft it is critical for me to signup for and participate in the courses that will help me take my authorprenuership to the next level. There are still many things I have to learn about publishing, and writing. High on my lists are courses that concern marketing, and time management techniques.

Being and author is my career. This means I have to be effective in my ability to promote myself and execute quality work in a timely manner. There area a few bloggers who I love, and follow almost to the point of obsessing. This year, while I am expanding my backlist, I will be working on other things that will ensure my longevity within my authoring career and in other avenues I love.

I will forgive myself swiftly and unconditionally whenever I fail.

The thing about lofty goals is that there is a lot of room for error. I’ve created a great plan for this year, but that isn’t to say it isn’t lofty. One thing having children has taught me is that the best laid plans can go to hell with one bad hour. I have a tendency to come down on myself really hard when what I have planned doesn’t bring about the results I need or want.

Not this year.

This year, I will roll with the punches. I am still only human, and I have to stop ignoring that fact when I am too exhausted or sick, or otherwise just unable to complete the tasks I set for myself. I will always put my best foot forward. I strive to hit everyone of my goals for this year, but I am not going to sulk when things don’t come together the way I want them too.

Instead, I am going to take a deep breath, and reassess what I have to conquer. I won’t let failure hold me back any longer. Not under any circumstances. I’m a best foot forward kind of woman. I will always be, but I don’t have to continue to be my own worst critic.

 

There you have it. My eight priority goals for 2018. What about you? What are you working on and how do you plan to get there? Drop me a comment and let me know.

 

Joy.