2015 Writing Goal Setting

clker.com, OCAL

Now that it's officially 2015, it's time for me to set some writing goals. I don't do resolutions, as such, but I do like to make work-related goals. Before I do that, Happy New Year! We stayed in and had a quiet New Year's just watching movies and relaxing together.  Last year, my husband was on a business trip for New Year's, so it was nice to be with him as we brought in the new year.We watched the fireworks on top of Pikes Peak, and the kids were still awake, so they got to see them, too. Other than that, there are no traditions we observe. I'd never heard of anything other than a toast and a kiss at midnight (which we do, so I guess we do observe that tradition.) I've heard of a lot of traditions now, courtesy of Facebook.

Okay, on to goal setting. To review the year, in 2014 I had the following accomplishments/progress:

• I made steady progress with writing short stories and submitting them, racking up plenty of rejections. Many of these came with positive feedback.
• I was moved to the second tier for an anthology. Though I ultimately got a rejection for it, I consider this an accomplishment.
• I consistently turned in stories to my critique group.
• I participated in the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond and Of Mist and Magic (release information coming soon.)
• I made consistent progress in my challenge to read the best horror from various lists and write reviews.
• I achieved all of last year's writing goals except those related to my novels, which I chose to set aside.

I don't remember what else, but I'm looking at it as a good year. Hopefully, 2015 will be even better.

My goals for 2015 are:

• I set aside the novels until this year began, so they're back on the docket. I want to finish revising my YA novel and get it ready for submission.
• Finish my Urban Fantasy novel.
• Revise my UF novel.
• Continue writing, editing, and submitting short stories. (I'd set a number goal, but I feel like that would be a number I was pulling out of my rear just to do so, and it wouldn't represent realistic expectations.)
• Place several short stories for pay.
• Start working on articles again.
• Journal.
• Continue to experiment and enjoy collaborations and projects to expand my horizons. 
• Continue with the horror reading/review challenge.

I think that's a good list for now. When I make a list like this, I do so understanding that my goals and/or circumstances might change during the year, but I like to have an idea of what I'm aiming for in the year to come. It always feels good to look back and see what I was hoping to do in the new year, and how much progress I actually made. And it's nice to have something to check in on from time to time to straighten myself out when I've gotten off the path.

Did you set work goals? Resolutions? What are some of your goals for the year, either personal or professional? Do you revisit those goals at the end of the year, or just continue adding to the list as you go? How was your New Year's Eve? Did you go to a party? Observe any special traditions?

May you find your Muse.