good morning, 2022 – my plans and plots for the new year!

good morning, cyberspace!

Happy New Year, my friends! I can’t believe it’s already 2022–or January, for that matter–but here we are on the cusp of another shiny new year, hoping (I think) that perhaps this one will be just a little less terrifying than the past couple have been…

To be honest, I don’t think ANYONE expected the 20’s to be… whatever it is the 20’s have been lately. But hey! We’re making the most of it! And what better way to focus on the good than by thinking about plans and plots for the oncoming year? and simultaneously kicking all terrible things that have happened underneath the rug, ne’er to be seen again. this is fine. Specifically, of course, ones in regards to writing, reading, and any otherwise creative pursuits!

Goal creation is one of my favorite things, especially at the start of a new year. Not only is it new and exciting–the very fuel this chaotic creative thrives on–but it also helps hold me accountable to the very many things I want to accomplish within a calendar year. At least, it should hold me accountable. As we discovered last week, sometimes I’m not very good about staying true to the goals I’ve set for myself. XD But! That’s all part of the learning experience, amiright?

So this morning, for our very first post of 2022, I’m going to pull back the curtains of my mind and show you all a sneakety peakety of what I’m planning for this year!

What will I be writing within the coming months? Are there any new stories in the works? Do I have a publishing plan(lol wut)? What about secret projects? Are there any of those? (trick question. there are ALWAYS secret projects in the pipeline.) There’s so much to be excited about in the coming months–some of which I’m not even covering in today’s post–so let’s dive right in and take a look!

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GOOD MORNING, 2022 — MY PLANS AND PLOTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

WRITING

First off, we are going to start with the writing goals, because–as always–writing is my most favorite part of this whole planning stage! I LOVE making writing goals. Do I always meet them? Um… no. But I definitely love thinking about them, and I also like waving at my deadlines as they sail on by.

Learning to adapt is a process, okay.

So! What are my writing goals for 2022, you may be wondering? Welllll…

complete the second draft of Project Sunset

As most of you know, I’ve been working on the second draft of Project Sunset since November! Currently, I’m at 15/30 chapters revised, and we’re officially entering the more…sticky bits of story. Middles and endings are decidedly NOT my strong suit–though I do enjoy them!–so I know that this next portion of the story is going to take a little more time than the first half of it. Because of this, I’m giving myself a deadline of January 30th in order to finish the second draft of this novel. I’ve heard that second drafts should only take about one calendar month in the publishing industry (unless the voices are back and I’m just hearing things), so I feel like three months, with the majority of December off for holiday break, is a decent start to learn how to revise properly!

Also, considering the fact that the second draft of everlost took me exactly one whole year to finish, I’d say I’ve definitely stepped up my game since then. We’re already halfway through this book, and things are looking pretty good still. Let’s just hope that the actual story at the end of it all is more like an actual book, and less like the collection of fragmented thoughts and ideas that I wrote back in summer of 2020…

send Project Sunset to Alpha and Betas

After the first revision of this book is completed, it’s time to get this trash goblin out into the hands of my readers… First up, I’ll be sending it over to my Alpha (my mom, who’s not only my biggest supporter but also an INCREDIBLE first reader), and then, once I’ve taken those notes and incorporated them into the story, it’s time to send it to betas.

Usually, I try to keep my base group pretty small. But as this is a book that I’d like to have out on the shelves someday–and since I’m feeling particularly self-destructive–I’ve been toying with the idea of broadening my reach to a larger pool of beta readers. So for any potential readers looking for a fun, quirky YA Fantasy, please keep your eyes peeled for more info regarding the beta process of this book within the next six months or so…

re-outline Project Goblin

Once Project Sunset is sent off to betas, I’m going to need something else to occupy my brain for the two months in which I’m not working on my sunshine child. So, what better opportunity to switch gears and focus on my trash goblin? Project Goblin’s first draft is an absolute garbage fire, but one that I ardently adore. I’m very much looking forward to tearing this book down and rebuilding it from the ground up, and my goal is to have the new outline ready to go by late spring to early summer. Whether or not I’m also going to try revising this story in 2022 remains to be seen, but currently I’m not opposed to the idea of revision. It all depends on my fourth and final writing goal, which is…

draft a New Project

You guys know how much I love Super Secret Projects. In fact, my writing group was roasting me recently because of all the Secret Projects I’m constantly going on about. (thanks, kate. XD) However, I’m keeping this section as vague as possible, not because I don’t want to share the name or plot of this project with you all, but because I… actually have no clue what it’s going to be.

I have a few story ideas in the pipeline at this point–baby plot bunnies that are raring to make it onto the page–but I’m still not sure which one I’m going to pick as my First Draft Project for 2022! I definitely know that there will be something new happening next year, but currently, I’m letting the tide take me wherever it sees fit.

And currently it sees fit to tell me nothing. XD

query 5 agents

…yeah. There’s not a whole lot to tell in regards to this one. If Project Sunset makes it through the revisional fires this year and somehow transforms itself into a story worthy of publishing, I would very much like to query it to some agents by the end of the year. This is nothing more than a pipedream, though, so I’m DEFINITELY not hanging every hope on this particular goal. It’s simply something I’m working towards, not something yet-tangible. (but someday, friends… someday.)

READING

As always, I plan on reading tons of delectable books in 2022! Every year, I try to read the same number of books as the last two digits of the year, so THIS year’s reading goal is….

read twenty-two books

I don’t have a full TBR written out yet, but I know for sure that finishing Percy Jackson and the Illuminae series is at the top of my list! I’m kind of ashamed that I haven’t already finished them, but ya know. It gives me things to look forward to.

I also think I’m going to try and go on a book buying ban for the first few months of the year? I definitely bought WAAAAAY too many books last year (and my shelves are now crying out at the injustice of it all), but we’ll see how that goes… I have a Barnes & Noble gift card that’s calling my name, and I make no promises, peasants.

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my word for 2022

Every year I try to choose a single word to encompass all that I feel the next year will hold. Last year, I couldn’t choose just one word, but instead chose an entire quote from one of my most beloved stories–Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

Alice

To be honest, I couldn’t have chosen a better quote for 2021. It was a hard, long, sometimes spirit-stifling year, and it really was no use trying to go back to yesterday. Every day I had to make a choice of where I was heading, and it was hard. So, so hard.

But I’m proud of where I ended up. I’m happy to be where I am now. And even though I feel less sure of where I’m going than I did at the start of 2021, I know for a fact that it’s no use going back. I was a different person then.

So for the past week or so, I’ve been debating what I want my word for 2022 to be. And after much deliberation, I’ve decided to go with a second quote from yet another classic. (apparently I can’t narrow my life down into one word anymore. XD) This one comes from His Supreme Authorial Grace, J.R.R. Tolkien, himself:

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

Last year was a year of wandering for me. It was an experimental sort of chapter in my life, where I took many adventures and fell down one too many rabbit holes. But I wouldn’t say it was bad. In fact, the wandering awoke something inside of me that I never expected to find in the adventure: a contentedness of simply being.

I guess I always thought that if you made a decision or tried something new, you should know exactly what you were doing and where you were going and what, precisely, the end result was going to be. But 2021 taught me that this is the biggest lie I’ve ever spoon-fed myself. The beauty of adventure–the beauty of wandering–is that you really don’t need to have any bigger plan than the desire to put one foot in front of the other. Last year I stumbled headfirst into many adventures, and while they were terrifying in the moment, I’m so thankful for each and every one of them, because they’ve brought me to where I am right now.

And in 2022, I want to keep wandering. Every day I’m re-discovering my love for life and adventure and all their many quirks, and I want to see and experience all that this world–and my Awesome God–has in store for me. But the only way that will happen is if I stop letting the fear of failure take the reigns, and instead give control to the only One who knows where on earth I’m heading. XD

I may not know where I’m going. I may not know if the path I’m currently on is the right one. But I’m enjoying the scenery, I love the company, and I’m no longer scared of making a wrong turn.

After all, I’m not lost. Just wandering.

talk to me, peasants!

FOR THE WRITERS… are you making any writing goals this year? working towards publication, writing your first book, learning how to craft the perfect villain? I want to know ALL of the writerly things!

FOR THE READERS… what books are you most excited about in the coming months? any new releases you’d murder a small man to get your hands on? and tell me about your reading goals for 2022!

As always, let’s talk about ALL of the things down in the comments below! And until next time…

*flings cookies in the air and disappears*

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