Hi, Everybody, and Happy New Year! The number 13, like every number, has specific significance. Friday the 13th, the Witching Hour, the 13th Floor (many people are so suspicious, this floor doesn't exist in their hotels or office buildings!), Jesus and His first 11 disciples made 12 (a Biblically perfect number), and you know who became the 13th member of the group - Judas, who ultimately betrayed Him and committed suicide.
So, it's easy to see why the number 13 has such a bad rep. Today, however, we're looking on the bright side of the number 13. The number also means "beginning a new cycle." Much better, right? That's what we're doing - revamping, rewriting, improving, or simply taking inventory of our goals. Sit back and take a look. Let us know what you think :-) Make sure to comment with your e-mail address for a chance to win the book of choice. Sign up for my newsletter for an additional chance to win. Also, hot off the press, The Romance Reviews' Romance Madness blog hop is January 25th - 29th! Mark your calendars for more great books, prizes, and giveaways.
Dariel Raye
I posted a more in-depth list
of my 2013 goals earlier. Since I didn’t start blogging and writing seriously
again until March, I’d give myself an 8 in terms of goal attainment. I managed
to publish two (a short novella, book one of the “Dark Sentinels” series, and
book one of “The Alerians – Dark Progeny: Jordan’s Wings,” but dropped the ball
on my networking the last couple of months, so that’s something I plan to be
more consistent about.
I plan
to write 1.2k words per day, 5 days a week – if I work in a 6th day, that’ll
be extra. This schedule will allow me to publish 4 this year,
all novellas, and begin rewrites on one of my full-lengths. Since quality is more important to me than quantity, I'm focusing on everything that will make my books more enjoyable and easier to discover.
Jami Gray
Attainment of writing goal 9
My Goals were:
1. to finish my second novel, Shadow's Soul and get it in to my editor on time. Check. It came out in June.
2. To finish my third novel, Shadow's Moon (not under contract) by end of the year. Check. Now working on drafting query letters to larger pub houses.
3. To complete NaNo. Check. For the first time I actually hit the 50K mark and realized that yes, even with a family and a job that pays the bills, I can make time to write EVERY DAY. It was a huge lightbulb for me and I'm hoping it helps light the way for 2013.
For 2013:
1. Maintain a daily routine of writing (no excuses this year). When I do this, I know I can get two 110K books done in one year, instead of one per year.
2. Get Shadow's Moon published.
3. Complete first title in new series for submission using all the lessons I've learned to hone my writing skills in the past year.
4. Have one of my many favorite authors guest post on my blog each month, because it's wonderful to actually reach out to those whose mere presence turn you into a blathering idiot and realize what sweet people they are and how willing they are to share their love of writing as well.
Sharon Cooper
My writing career has exceeded my expectations! On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the attainment of my writing goals for 2012 a big, fat “10”. It was a phenomenal year! I indie published four stories (two novels and two short stories), and I received a two-book deal from one of the largest publishing houses in the country.
Oh, yeah, it was a great year! As for my goals for 2013, I plan to maintain the same focus, but with more breathing room. I will continue to write daily, but will limit my writing time to three – six hours per day, six days a week. Five books will be written this year, and at least two of my books will be published in 2013.
Jade Kerrion
2012 was a spectacular year for achieving my writing goals. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate it 10+. I'd planned on publishing two books; I ended up releasing four. Better yet, the reviews on those books are fantastic. I have goals as well for 2013. I'm expanding beyond my award-winning Double Helix series, and two of my three planned releases in 2013 will likely launch their own series.
But beyond annual goals, I've developed a list of milestones that would highlight my long-term career as an author. Some of those milestones focus on sales numbers, financial breakeven, such as "Sell 1,000 books in a day."
Others are broader and more aspirational, like "Become a NYT bestselling author"; "Have a book (or books) banned by a major political or religious group" (this is probably the fastest way to be a guaranteed bestseller); "Hire a full-time housekeeper / cook from my earnings as an author" (I know I've arrived as an author once I can afford to do this.) I'll keep plugging away at making those milestones even as I strive to attain my 2013 writing goals.
Rachelle Ayala
2012 writing goals: (8) I published two novels and one non-fiction.
2013 writing goals: I do not set a target of the number of books to publish because each story is different in terms of time and number of revisions. My goals are non-measurable: impact to lives of readers, happiness, meaning, and life-affirming. Creating better stories and increasing positive and goodness in the world.
Kayelle Allen
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate
the attainment of your writing goals in 2012? Did you have goals? What will you
change for 2013? New habits, different focus, specific goals, etc.
Looking back, I set five specific goals for 2012, and met
only one of them. I give myself a 5. I met the first because I made it a top
priority and worked at it daily. I set aside the second goal for other
priorities. I abandoned the third and fourth because I found better plans to
follow. I completely forgot about the fifth one because I didn't go over my
goals periodically, the way I have in previous years. I won't make that mistake
in 2013. I set a new set of objectives for 2013 back in December 2012, and have
already accomplished two of them. I am tweaking the list, and will be adding
back the item I had forgotten. 2013 is shaping up to be a successful year for
me as a writer, a person, and as a wife, mother, and grandmother. For example,
my husband and I are working through a workbook by Dr.
Kayelle Allen is the owner of the graphics company The Author's Secret. She also runs Romance Lives Forever, a blog
featuring authors and books, and Marketing for
Romance Writers, a mentoring group. She writes about of immortal role-playing gamers,
warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable--or hide it forever.
Homeworld http://kayelleallen.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Zenobia Renquist
I would say on a scale of 1 - 10, I placed about a 7-ish on completing my goals for 2012. I wanted to get a lot more writing accomplished, but I'm still pleased with the amount I did. I didn't have any concrete goals for 2012 and I don't really have any for 2013 beyond working through my writing list. I do hope to get two or three more publishers and contract at least one new title with my current publishers. As for my writing habits, I just have to continue the practices I started in 2012.
Mia Darien
On a scale of 1-10, I would actually have to say that I hit a 10 with my writing goals in 2012. But that could be because my goals were very low! I had only just released "Cameron's Law" at the end of 2011/beginning of 2012, but the response has been good and I've been able to release two more books in the series, as well as other tales. Stories that have long been finished, just waiting for their time to shine and now they have it. I've had good response on my own work, and I've got a busy schedule helping other authors promote their work, and doing editing and cover art for my fellow indies. A good year for my writing career, because this is the year that the "career" of it took off.Honestly, I don't know that I'm going to change anything in 2013. I try to keep my goals realistic and my expectations low, so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, trying to improve, trying to get more of the word out there, and keep helping other authors.
~ Mia Darien, author of the Adelheid Series
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Krystal Shannan
A new year! I couldn't be more excited. My goals for 2013 are much higher than my goals were for 2012, I would rate the attainment of my goals for 2012 at a 8. I set out to become a published author and I did --twice!! Open House released in October and A Very Russian Christmas came out in December.
For 2013 I have raised my expectations to 6 books and have two releasing this spring. Four more to write. I have a focused goal of writing at least a 1000 words every day. So far, I'm right on target.
Check out the links below for more informationa about Krystal and her books:
Open House: Pool of Souls Book 1 Amazon | Smashwords | ARe | Kobo |B&N
Chasing Sam: Vegas Mates Book 1 - Coming Feb 2013!
Finding Hope: Pool of Souls Book 2 - Coming Soon!
LaVerne Thompson
For 2012 I had 3 goals: To finish the third and final book
in my Guardian Agency Series which I write under my alter ego, Ursula Sinclair;
to finish and publish 2 other books; And to enter the self-publishing industry.
On a scale from 1-10 I’d say the attainment of my writing goals for 2012 was a
10++ not only did I meet them, I exceeded them. I finished the 3 books,
submitted them to my publishers, had them edited and published in 2012 but my
main goal was to self-publish my fantasy work, Dragon’s Heart- Story of the
Brethren. Once I determined I wanted to enter the self-publishing world I knew
that was the story I wanted to launch with. In September of 2012 it happened. So
not only did I launch my self-publishing business and deliver the 3 books I
promised to my publishers but I was able to deliver 3 additional stories, one
of which is in a new graphic story format. So all in all 2012, while extremely
busy, was a very fulfilling year for me.
For 2013 things should be less stressful because both my
girls will be off at college. My oldest leaves in Aug. Then again, as far as
stress goes, maybe not. So yes my habits may change some in that I’ll have
fewer daily distractions, so perhaps that means 2013 will be another ++
publishing year for me. We’ll see.
Click below for more information about LaVerne & her books:
Website- http://lavernethompson.com
Facebook- http://facebook.com/groups/lavernesnews
Dragon's Heart- Story of the Brethren link to : http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Heart-Story-Brethren-ebook/dp/B009AVD3FY
Wine and Roses- Book 3 the Guardian Agency Series- http://www.amazon.com/Wine-Roses-Guardian-Agency-ebook/dp/B006WEE1DK
Journey of the Princess of Ice- The Elementals- http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Princess-Ice-Elementals-ebook/dp/B00AWJSB0A
Seeley James
Here is where I am at this point:
1) Connect with 20,000 readers. More than a social media following, a connection; readers, not writers.
2) Write a 5 part serialized novel, currently Trench Coats.
a. Each part 12-15,000 words
b. Two months for 1, one month for 2-5; alternating with full novel work
c. Professionally edited
d. Grow following
3) Finish full novel #2, The Borneo Decision by July
4) Corral the Social Media time suck, no more than 1 hour per day
5) Expand working relationships with reliable authors to 6-8
6) Connect with veterans for background
P.L. Parker
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate my attainment of writing goals as a 7. Typically, it takes me 8 to 13 months to complete a full length novel because I work full time and writing takes second seat. My goal was to finish my latest by year’s end and I actually finished the book in November. In 2012, I did achieve a highlight in my writing career. One of my books was No. 66 on the top 100 e-book bestseller list on Amazon for a short while. Really made my day, week, month and year. This month, I began working on a sequel to The Chalice and my hope is to have it finished by the end of the year.
P. L. Parker
Romantic Adventure at its Best
I'd rate my attainment of goals as a 10 for 2012. I landed my first publishing contract, and even published more books than I thought possible. I helped form a group of critique partners who have helped me immensely, and watching them achieve their goals has been incredible. For 2013, I've set even higher goals that I hope will help me attain my ultimate, five year plan. I'm forcing myself to spend less time on social media, and more time writing. I'm also using Google calendar to help me stay organized and focused, making my goals public so that I feel like I'm more accountable for my goals, and I'm spending more time editing and revising so that I can produce better books. While it's important to me to continue to publish, I want to improve my skills as well. So that means I have to dig into my manuscripts with a fiercer eye aimed at perfecting those stories. 
Chantel Rhondeau
Writing goals...honestly, I'm not much of a goal setter. I'm the type of person who does best by just pushing myself every day to be a little better than I was yesterday. I actually accomplished more in 2012 than I thought I ever could so I'd give myself a 8/10. I wrote my first full-length novel that ever made it to the finished state, sent it through the ringer at Critique Circle and learned how much I really didn't know about writing, and then took all the advice to make a book I'm proud of.
Entered the world of self-publishing and learning how to market--2012 was a very busy year. I also wrote my second novel. In 2013, I have set a few goals. I hope to publish my second novel, write a memoir about dealing with grief that I plan to offer as a free e-book, and I hope to write and publish a third romantic suspense book before the end of the year. We'll see if that's possible! Happy 2013 to everyone! I hope you all obtain your goals!
Don't forget to come back and see me on the 25th for the Romance Madness Hop!
Comments
Super cool. Thanks for including me Dariel!