After being all sad sack about 2023 yesterday, at my age the first day of 2024 is less about hangovers and more about making plans for the coming year. So here are a few things I have planned and am looking forward to in the coming months.
Writing
- I’ve been struggling with finishing The Promise in the last god-knows how long, not least because I’m not planning on writing any more Homestead stories and the pressure was getting to me a bit. But, hey presto, I had an idea for a different ending so I’m almost done with the last chapter so that will be in my store (fingers crossed) by the end of the month.
- Once that’s out the way I can start editing the huge book I’ve been working on for almost a decade. All being well, I thinking a summer release.
- and I’ve made a start on my Mirror Lake project and I’m really enjoying that so that’ll be two more books in the autumn.
Ko-fi
I started my Ko-fi last year although I will admit I dropped the ball a bit when I got ill. This year I’m determined to make Ko-fi my focus and am going to be treating it as my full-time job. I like the schedule I have set up and all being well, I’ll be able to grow that a little this year.
(If you want to read The Promise early, half the book is already posted in the Reading Room so you can make a start on it now)
Art
I figured as I have ‘artist’ in my bio, I should really do some art for myself this year. I’ve set myself a challenge to draw one thing in my sketchbook a day, and I want to do some painting too when the weather warms up. I also have a couple of other little projects — like the dolls house which has been sitting around, getting underfoot, waiting to be painted for about five years now — which I want to get out the way. I also saw a lovely idea for an illustrated year diary thingy (you’ll see what I mean) so I’m going to do a digital version of that too if only so I can have a slightly more interesting end of year review next year, i.e. so I can remember what happened.
Other stuff
I have a few pages to sort out on the new website, and then I’m going to concentrate on moving most of my books from KU to my store and wide, although I need a game plan for that first.
I also want to sort out my existing artwork (I have a LOT of old paintings and drawings), get rid of as may as possible and sort out my old placeholder website for those.
Also, declutterring. Coz ,oh em gee, I have so much clutter.
Reading
I’ve got my spreadsheet ready and I’m determined to read more than the 50 measly stories I read last year (the count was measly, not the stories!). If you have recs, I want them.
Trips/Holidays/Excursions
Unless someone subscribes to the Dragon’s Lair tier of my Ko-fi for real, my only trips this year will be to the park, the store and the hospital. But you never know…maybe someone will whisk me away on an all-expenses paid trip to Paris for a month…maybe.
That looks like a lot of plans now that I wrote them down but I can try! I doubt 2024 will be my year but it will be a year and that’s time enough to get a couple of things done, right?
Hope you and yours made it through to the New Year safe and sound, and here’s hoping we can muddle through another 12 months.
Happy New Year!
