2018 Year-in-Review and Q1 2019 Goals #ROW80

So here I am with my end-of-year review and a new goals post. I have switched to quarterly planning, which works so much better for me than yearly goals. Thank you, Sarra Cannon, for showing me the way!

This year was HUGE for my virtual assisting/freelance editing business. I landed several new clients in very quick succession which was absolutely awesome. My workload increased a lot, which required adjustments and better planning. However, I am ecstatic that I was able to make this happen. That was my biggest goal: increasing my client base and by extension bringing in more money.

I have also learned so much from my clients, stuff that I can apply to my own publishing efforts. So it’s a win-win.

Health wise…ugh, a lot of stuff went wrong this year. Not going to get into it, but suffice to say it was tough and stressful. However, I’ve survived it and I am looking forward to a new slate.

Since it’s my intention to jump back into ROW80 again, I figured I would put everything into one, handy-dandy simple post.

But first, let’s look at what I did (or didn’t do) this year:

~2nd round of edits/release secret project (early 2018) – DONE. Except it was delayed by unavoidable issues until 12/7. Very happy to have it finally out in the world! 
~Revise and release Fireborn – DONE. Released August 1st.
~Get serious about exercise and DO SOMETHING – Nope. I remain a couch potato. 😦 
~Take pictures regularly (once a month, 1 a day for x amount of days, etc) – Nope, and I really wish I could have.
~Get moving with dictation again – DONE. Not dictating currently, but I did purchase the latest version of Dragon Naturally Speaking and I also bought a digital recorder for transcription. Just need to actually start doing it.
~Progress on Covenant – DONE. I don’t have the exact figures handy, but I think I got it up to around 25k.
~Progress on When She Sleeps – This has been put on hold.
~Start Survivor Rewrite for reals this time – Nope, but one of my goals for Q1 is to JUST DO IT.
~Do something with Death Dancer/Pirouette – Nope. But as soon as I can, I’ll start working on this. I have Plans. 
~Get better with planning – My mom bought me a planner for Christmas last year, so I used that for deadlines/appointments/modified bullet journal. It worked great, so 
I asked for another one. And got it. Also, Sarra Cannon’s quarterly planning system worked wonderfully as well. I believe this planning system is the only reason why I was able to release the secret project this year. I was focused in a way I haven’t been in awhile. Being that I am a head planner (that is, I do all my planning in my head), this is a HUGE accomplishment.
~Start writing every day again, even if it’s 100 words – Nope. Time seems to get away from me sometimes.
~Figure out Reaper Girl #3, Faeborn – DONE. I have a premise. And apparently I’d forgotten that I’d called it Faeborn. Oops.

As for how many words I wrote this year: 75,000, which was my modest goal. I was hoping to write more, but given how busy I was and how awful my health was at times, I’ll take it. 🙂

Alrighty, so what’s on tap for Q1 and #ROW80? I’m glad you asked.

~Loosely plot Immortal Faeborn
~Book ads for Gain with Pain, Reaper Girl, and Fey Touched. Put together a tracking system.
~Start manifestation journal (first entry: 1/5/19)
~Put together modified Kanban board for Q1
~Purchase Energy Oracle deck. Start pulling cards daily and journaling.
~Progress on Oubliette or finish
~Do All The Things related to TDP Anthology (to be released sometime in Q1)
~Begin rewrite of Survivor. Continue working on it on Sundays.
~Catch up up on ARCs
~Take Sundays off work when possible
~Start back on MyFitnessPal. Log food 5x a week minimum.
~Water 5x a week

I think that’s it for now. 🙂

Links to the books:

Gain with Pain on Amazon
Fireborn on Amazon 

2017 Year-End Review and 2018 Goals

Time has been flying! Holy cow! It’s almost 2018 already, and and and —

Okay, I’m a bit early. I don’t expect much to change drastically in 3 days, so here we are.

So how did I do?

~Release 1 book (besides Ever Touched) ~NOT DONE, although I got a new cover for In Flames and put Reaper Girl into KDP Select. 
~Publish Ever Touched (set for May release)~DONE! 
~Start revision of Pirouette/Death Dancer ~NOT DONE, but had an interesting idea the other day about Alisia’s lineage. 
~Finish Covenant ~NOT DONE, but it’s at 24k now. Wanted to hit 30k before the new year, but I’m not sure that’s possible now. 😦 
~Start Elysium ~NOT DONE. At all.
~Finish and release Fireborn ~DONE. Rewrote it and submitted it to TDP for publication next year.
~Outline book #1 in Fey Touched spin-off series ~NOT DONE. May toy with this next year.
~Get on a consistent, simple exercise plan and STICK WITH IT ~NOPE. 
~Eat healthier/Gluten-free ~NOT DONE.  😦 Well, made the attempt, anyway…
~Get back into darkroom when hands are better ~NOT DONE.
~Add in a second writing session twice a week (8 minutes)~NOT DONE. Have been fighting pain and exhaustion.
~Try to write more short fiction ~DONE! Fireborn (55k) and When She Sleeps (projected 60k) 
~Continue with FYFB class (so behind right now!)~NOPE. Downloaded everything that’s available that I haven’t gotten to.
~Start working on Survivor Rewrite outline again ~DONE! Not finished due to wrist issues.

This year has been roughly for me physically. I have been exhausted more, and the trigeminal neuralgia flared up again so we’ve been trying to find the right combination of meds to control the pain. So far, we haven’t been very successful.

I was also laid off from my job in August, so there’s been some upheaval there. I have been working on my freelancing/virtual assistant business to try to bring in more money. Things are kind of up in the air, and it has been wreaking havoc on my productivity.

I have decided to buckle down and make things happen in 2018!

Goals:

~2nd round of edits/release secret project (early 2018)
~Revise and release Fireborn
~Get serious about exercise and DO SOMETHING
~Take pictures regularly (once a month, 1 a day for x amount of days, etc)
~Get moving with dictation again
~Progress on Covenant
~Progress on When She Sleeps
~Start Survivor Rewrite for reals this time
~Do something with Death Dancer/Pirouette
~Get better with planning
~Start writing every day again, even if it’s 100 words
~Figure out Reaper Girl #3, Faeborn

I’ve written roughly 80k this year, which is down from last year. Would like to hit 100k and more in 2018.

#ROW80 Final Check-in 12/17/17

Technically, the round ends on the 20th, but I will be busy with Christmas prep so I am, as usual, ending a bit early.

So, how did I do?

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ DONE. That was the priority. I get edits back on January 1st.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~NOT DONE. Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. I will try to do this between now and the beginning of Round 1 2018 so I can maybe start writing on Sundays again.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ NOT DONE. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am still considering a “Nano” of my own at some point.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~DONE. Editing done and it’s now with betas. Two got back with me. So far, the response has been very positive, which is encouraging.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~DONE. I chose Covenant, and I have 1,578 words already written.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~DONE. A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week~DONE, with a few exceptions.
~Read 1 book a week ~DONE, for the most part.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~DONE! Lots and lots of hot chocolate, dark chocolate M&Ms, and dark chocolate minis! 

I will be participating in ROW80 next year (so weird to be saying that!) so see you all next round!

And Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

#ROW80 Check-in 12/10/17

Fifteen days till Christmas, and ten days to the end of the round. Time is just flying for me!

Here’s the rundown:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Now with betas. :twitches:
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Lifeblood by Gena Showalter and started White Death by Jack Castle and Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Lots and lots of hot chocolate and dark chocolate minis! 

#ROW80 Check-in 12/6/17

I’m starting to have breakthrough TN pain again. 😦 Yesterday was by far the worst at a level 9. I took a break from all screens except the TV and read a hardcover book.

Two steps forward, two steps back. 😦

Here’s where I am at now:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project I am 71% in
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week ~Did not drink water yesterday. 😦
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Broken Glass by V.C. Andrews.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Lots and lots of hot chocolate!

#ROW80 Check-in 12/3/17

Here I am again!

Honestly? I’ve been exhausted. Too much too soon for too long. However, I am finally somewhat free so I can update and rest.

Here’s my update:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project  I am 17% in
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week ~Did not drink water for 2 days. Bad Erin! No cookie!
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Cold Memory by Harvey Church and also FirstLife by Gena Showalter. Started Broken Glass by V.C. Andrews and Lifeblood, sequel to Firstlife by Gena Showalter.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! Hersey’s kisses and dark chocolate mini’s! And lots of hot chocolate!

#ROW80 Check-in 11/19/17

I’ve been so busy that it’s been really hard to find the time to post. But, here I am with an update finally. 😀

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~Final edit in progress. I have been tweaking stuff, too. Still on track to submit by the deadline.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene. I also figured out how to end the current scene which has been giving me fits.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Alpha Prez and the First Lady’s Secret Weapon by Kendall Grey and started Cold Memory by Harvey Church and also FirstLife by Gena Showalter. 
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! Hersey’s kisses and dark chocolate mini’s! Need to step it up!

#ROW80 Check-in 11/5/17

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to update. My mom is still recovering from her surgery and things have been nuts. I’m just exhausted.

In cheerier news, it looks like my new medication has finally kicked in. My TN pain is definitely better, though not 100% but I’ll take it!

Here’s the rundown:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~Currently rewriting the ending. I hope to be done with it in the next few days.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. May try to do more today.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ I’m not sure if I can now, between helping my mom and Fireborn. I may do a late start possibly. We’ll see.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene. I also figured out how to end the current scene which has been giving me fits.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished reading Blood War by KJ Colt, Death Plague (also by KJ Colt, in the Dominion Rising boxed set), and Queen Takes Knights(ARC). Started reading Deviation by Heather Hildenbrand. 
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! I don’t think I’ve had any chocolate lately. Must fix this immediately!

#ROW80 Check-in 10/22/17

I have been not feeling the best for the past few days. I actually got carsick on Friday (I have a stomach condition that acts up sometimes when in a car if I’ve eaten right before) and today I am in a fibro flare. My first in literally years.

My mom’s having knee replacement surgery on Wednesday, and there’s a lot of prep and planning involved. She’s got an elderly dog who’s very attached to her, and he needs round-the-clock care. I am taking care of him, so there’s all these things I need to learn and remember. I suspect I am a bit stressed out.

That said, I have gotten some things done:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~Revision is coming along. I’m in the rewriting phase of things. I hope to be done by the end of the month, then I can start the final proofread/edit.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Nope. I was hoping to get this done this weekend, but it’s not looking good.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~Still planning for this.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene. I also figured out how to end the current scene which has been giving me fits.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished reading Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, a horror anthology. It was okay. Not spectacular, but not a total waste of time. Also read Fool Proof Dictation by Christopher Downing.  Started on Road to Helltown by SM Reine (ARC). 
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Several slices of chocolate ice cream cake (but not all at once!) It was DIVINE.

#ROW80 Check-in 10/15/17

I’m been soooooooooo busy, you don’t even know! Been mostly copy editing a TDP novel (which is awesome and releasing next month), revising Fireborn, and playing Guild Wars.

Here’s the rundown:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline (the rewrite is almost done now). ~Revision up to page 72 of 98 pages. I will need to do some substantial rewrites, however. 
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Nope.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~Still planning for this.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished Letters to an English Professor by Joely Sue Burkhart. Currently reading Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, a horror anthology. About 60% in.  
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Dark chocolate covered caramels, milk chocolate covered caramels..and I think that’s it! I am falling down on the job! Must remedy this.