Friday, January 1, 2016

2016: New Year, New Goals

Happy New Years everyone! I wanted to take today to reflect on everything I accomplished in 2015 and all that I want to accomplish in 2016. I am so excited for this new year, and I hope you are too. Thank you for being a part of my journey.
2015 (in no particular order):

  • New job
  • Got engaged //I could not believe when Eric proposed to me in February of 2015. I was not expecting it at all, and our coworkers threw us a wonderful party to celebrate.
  • got a new cat (Ahri) //We're so happy to now be owners of three cats. They're a handful, but I love them to death. Ahri has such a great personality, and people love coming over to see her.
  • published Bloodline Inheritance --my 4th book //If anything finishing Bloodline Inheritance taught me that it's okay if I can't make the deadline that I planned out for myself. There is no sense in rushing artwork. Deanna's story is complete, and I'm glad she was able to share it with Malin as well (so we could learn more about him)
  • successful book launch and follow up posts (cover reveal and release date)
  • finished the Magicians series //The moment I released Bloodline Inheritance it still took a few days for me to finally process it. I had finally finished the Magicians series. This is the series I started planning out in 2015. I could only imagine what it would be like to one day have the entire series complete, and now I can say that I have done it. It was a huge advancement as an author to complete my first series and have the entire series published. I know as I continue forward my writing will only improve. The Magicians series was the first door that opened up for me to be a published author. Now I had an endless amount of doorways to open as I continue with my career
  • started writing Clara and Claire --more than half way finished! //As much as I wanted to finish Clara and Claire in 2015, I'm not disappointed. I started writing the book after the release of Bloodline Inheritance. And even with starting in July, I didn't really put my heart into it until September. It was in September that I finally decided this was the right choice for my next book, and I started over with a blank page. The fact that in 4 months I ended with 64k is a huge deal when I started out fearing I would never make it past chapter one. The characters really grew on me and now I'm finally it for the long run. 
  • joined a writing motivation group //My motivation group has been the reason behind my success this year. I never joined one of these --I heard about them, but I never knew how powerful they could be for a moral boost. I joined in September, and that's when my writing finally took off. I felt inspired and encouraged to finally write my new novel. I wanted to write every day just to share the progress with my fellow writers.
  • improved with graphic designs
  • got married //I can't believe I'm a married woman now!! I am so proud to call Eric my husband, and I'm finally used to my name change. It has been such an incredible year for us, and I love that he has supported me every step of the way.
  • went on our honeymoon --on a cruise!!
  • spent time with friends and family
2016
  • complete Clara and Claire //This is a huge goal for 2016, and one that I am determined to accomplish. I know that once I finish the first draft of this book, I can run to Staples, print out the entire thing, and then get down to revisions. (Yeah it's crazy how ready I am to get into revisions and editing... because I know the book desperately needs it!)
  • Shop for book covers //I am so nervous and excited about looking for book covers. I don't know who I'll go with this time, but I'm open to anything. 
  • Blog more
  • Share my data with my word counts during the entire time it took me to complete Clara and Claire //I don't know how I want to do this yet, but I did want to share my progress and the app I use has a way to export everything into Excel. So once I'm done I want to share it with you
  • Release my 5th book //If all goes well and I stick to my schedule I want to release my novel this year. I don't know when, but for the past 4 years I've released a new book each year. Hopefully I can stay consistent 
  • Plan a vacation with the hubby
  • Celebrate our one year wedding anniversary
  • Blog and write more --stick to a schedule
  • Register for book signings
That's all I can think of for right now, and I'm pleased with it overall. I have a lot  of work ahead of me, but I know I can do it if I put my heart into. I am so excited for what 2016 holds for us, and I hope you'll join me as we explore it together. Happy New year!
Lindsey Richardson

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