Nicole J Simms/ April 3, 2021/ Blog/ 0 comments

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Q1 2021 Goals Review and Q2 2021 Goals

It’s April, and that means we are now in the second quarter of 2021. How the hell did that happen?

Okay, I’m no longer freaking out (I’m lying, I’m still freaking out), so it’s time to see how well quarter one went. Short answer: it was a total fail. Okay, not a complete fail, but it did not go to plan. Let me explain.

I was hopeful for 2021—this is the year I publish books and ask people to pay for them. But hiding in the corner, waiting to stop me from pursuing my goals, was the Motivation Vampire. And in quarter one, Motivation Vampire attacked me and drained the little motivation I had, resulting in an unproductive quarter.

So, let’s see how unproductive Q1 was:

  • Write, edit and submit a short story to a submission call
    I submitted to two flash fiction competitions. And while I didn’t win any of the competitions, my first story made it to the longlist, and it will be published in an e-book collection. The second story is published on a website and has received some positive comments.
  • Edit horror flash fiction collection
    Editing is the least enjoyable part of the writing process for me, and it’s even worse when I have no motivation. So I didn’t edit all 54 flash fictions. I do have 10 edited, but I still have a lot more to do. Due to not editing fast enough, I’ve had to delay the publishing date twice. I’m just hoping this second delay will be the last.
  • Plan and write urban fantasy series Book 1
    At the beginning of 2021, I was sure that publishing my urban fantasy series first was the right decision. But, even though I wrote 17,562 words of book one, I soon struggled to know what to write. And this made me realise I needed to plan more before I could continue writing, so I put this project on hold.
  • Plan urban fantasy series Book 2
    See above.
  • 2nd Standalone novel – start 2nd draft
    I started, so I suppose that’s a win, right?
  • Send out 3 newsletters
    Nope, I didn’t do this. Those darn lead magnets are taking forever to finish, and my short story has now become a novella (laughs insanely).
  • Submit 3 Horror Tree posts
    I submitted one, and then I fell off the wagon.
  • Upload 3 stories to YouTube channel
    I’m no longer going to do this.
  • Listen to 2 podcasts per week
    Oh yeah, I achieved this goal. In fact, I sometimes listened to over two a week.
  • Complete urban fantasy reading list
    I’ve not completed this reading list, but I have read five and DNF’D (Did Not Finish) one.
  • Read 3 screenplays
    Nope, I couldn’t fit them in—okay, I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to read a screenplay instead of a book.
  • Read 3 short stories
    Yes, I did this.
  • Read 1 poem a week
    Another win here.

As you can see, Q1 didn’t go well, but that quarter has gone, and it’s time to focus on Q2.

Q2 2021 Goals

  • Edit and publish horror flash fiction collection
  • Submit a short story to a submission call
  • Plan and write paranormal mystery web serial season 1 & 2
  • Plan and start writing book 1 in my urban fantasy series
  • Start second draft of 2nd standalone novel
  • Complete newsletter lead magnets
  • Send out 3 newsletters
  • Submit 3 Horror Tree posts
  • Listen to 2 podcasts per week
  • Complete urban fantasy reading list
  • Read 3 short stories
  • Read 1 poem a week

Most of my goals are the same as Q1—they still need doing, after all—but I have one new project. I have gone back to my original plan and I will write a web serial. This will be a paranormal mystery, and it will have two seasons. I’ll talk more about this serial in my next post.

After I finish writing the serial, I will return to my urban fantasy series because, even though I’m not working on it, the characters and plot are forming in my mind and begging me to write it.

So, that’s my plan for Q2. How did your Q1 go and what are your plans for Q2? Let me know in the comments below.

Stay safe and keep writing, folks!

Don’t forget, you can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads or like my Facebook page.

You can also join my Facebook groups: Setting Self-Doubt on Fire Squad, which is for writers; and The Nicole J. Simms Squad, which is for readers who enjoy my stories and want a sneak peek into what I’m working on before anyone else.

Also, I’ve also created a Nicole J Simms YouTube channel. On my channel, I will be sharing videos of my performances, trips, writing group adventures and my stories.

And, you can also download my e-books Merry Dreadmas and The Book of Drabbles for FREE, so check them out.

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