For a lot of the world, 2016 sucked. Put in rice, burn sage, Ace Ventura needs to come exorcise the demons, level of suck. Amazing things happened to me this year. Things that I have been working, fighting, wishing, and hoping would happen, finally happened. Are still happening. But instead of celebrating what has been a stellar year in my writing life and creating new work because publishing is a machine, I lost an inordinate amount of time to battling anxiety and depression. My country is divided, falling apart, and it feels like hate is winning. I received my first wave of bad reviews (which have quietly haunted me ever since). I struggled with editorial revisions. I felt/feel like a failure more often than not…

I’d like to enter 2017 with a positive mindset. Instead of resolutions, I’m making a list of attainable goals–things that I have direct control over. Whether I am successful or fail is entirely within my power. Saying things like I will get an agent for my next book or I’ll reach #1 in the Paranormal category on Wattpad are great things to wish for. My blood, sweat, tears, work, and time will get me closer to making that wish come true, but ultimately, seeing those things come to fruition are not up to me. They’re reliant on someone else saying yes, on readers voting, commenting, and sharing my work.

This isn’t a complete list. There’s a lot I want to accomplish in 2017, but this is not a personal blog so I think it’s best to stick to my publishing related goals here:

1. Re-Enroll in school. No, not actual school! Rather, I want to continue to treat my writing schedule like a class schedule. If I set that time aside, I need to honor those hours and Do. The. Work.
2. Keep up my Wattpad posting schedule. Sequels, guys. There is a sequel to a certain book…
3. Query my next book to my personal satisfaction. I am very much against the “you must send 100 queries” mindset and a big believer in intuition. Perseverance isn’t everything. I know when something isn’t working.
4. Interact more with readers. I typically don’t engage in the comments of my books. But I know I can make more of an effort elsewhere, like with more in-story contests.
5. Ask questions when I have them. I’m not shy, but I am quiet with a tremendous amount of anxiety. I worry about worrying people. Social media stresses me out. But this hobby of mine is possibly turning into something more substantial. I need to know what I’m doing.
6. Continue working on Five Years After You.

I’m frighteningly superstitious but I’m going to be brave and say this anyway: May 2017 be open to letting the world heal and move forward in peace.

Happy 2017, everyone.