Wow, the first two months of 2021 are nearly over. Can you believe it? I know I can’t. I had so many goals and hopes for 2021. This is supposed to be the year I publish with the hopes of making money. But, man, the first two months have been tough.
I thought as soon as January came around, I would be raring to go. My Quarter One goals were to sort out the business side of my writing career, start building up a mailing list, edit the stories in my horror flash fiction collection and plan and write the first book in my urban fantasy series. But in January, something (or someone) stole my motivation.
We all know that without motivation, you struggle to get anything done, and that’s what has happened to me. I am one month away from the end of Quarter One, and I have many goals left to achieve.
Okay, let’s start with my horror flash fiction collection. Due to feeling flat for the first two months of the year, I have not edited enough to meet my April publication deadline. This added to my low mood and caused extra stress. So, I had a decision to make: keep the April deadline and go insane trying to meet it or delay the publication of my collection. I chose the second option. So, my new publication goal is May, but it might be June. I’ll have to see how I get on.
When it comes to the business side of things, I’m working my way through the questions in the Your Author Business Plan by Joanna Penn. And once I answer those questions, I should be able to create a business plan. This, however, is taking longer than expected. And while working through this book, it gave me the idea to change my current author brand by choosing a new font and style for my author name (I hope you like it).
For my newsletter, I plan to offer two lead magnets: the audiobook version of The Book of Drabbles and a short story prequel of the story ‘The Intruders’ from the drabble collection. I’ve not worked much on the audiobook (Thanks, Motivation Thief), but I did write just over 5,000 words of the story. However, it has become clear that this short story might be a novelette instead. So, with not having my lead magnets finished, I can’t set up my newsletter. (Hangs head down in shame).
So, we now need to talk about book one of my urban fantasy series. My original goal was to plan in January and write in February and March. Well, erm… let’s just say that didn’t happen. But last week I decided to start writing my novel during the Heart Breathings’ virtual writing retreat no matter what. I didn’t finish plotting, but I did start writing and wrote over 12,000 words during that retreat.
I’m now having to plot and write at the same time, but this is something I did for my supernatural horror novel, so I know I can still get the book done. Whether I complete the book by the end of March is a different story—I’m still hopeful, though.
I have something positive to share—I’m going to stop beating myself up for a bit. I submitted a drabble to a competition last week, and I have another flash fiction to submit to a competition next week. The flash fiction is virtually done, so I’m sure I will submit it on time.
Also, I have been looking into writing a serial. I have always known about serials—Charles Dickens wrote them; Stephen King wrote them. But I didn’t know if they were still being published until I discovered Sarra Cannon, who has published two seasons of a serial called Sacrifice Me (I’ve not read it yet, though). I love tv series, so the idea of writing a book version of a tv series is exciting. I just need to decide what length I’m aiming for and where I will publish this serial. But I shall keep you posted on my plans for this.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to—trying to keep up with time but failing. I’m still moving forward, though, even if it’s at a slower pace, so that’s something good.
How are you doing with your goals so far? Let me know in the comments below.
Stay safe and keep writing and reading, folks!
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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.
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