Can you believe that it’s 2021? I’m not sure that I can. I feel like I say it every single year but this year it’s doubly true. I’m sure at most of us felt like 2020 was never going to end. It was a hard year in many, many ways. While the fact that the calendar has turned to a new page doesn’t necessarily mean that things are going to be automatically better, even the demon that was 2020 can’t quite stop that feeling of motivation and hope that the start of a new year brings. I always feel more positive and optimistic around the new year, and I get a great surge of motivation to springboard me into January.
One of my favourite things to do before the start of a new year is to sit down and plan all of the things that I want to do and achieve this year. I’ve spent this last week mapping out goals, creating deadlines, and making a plan for the next twelve months ahead. I don’t know about you guys, but I have so many plans and hopes for the coming year. I started last year off really well, considering we were still dealing with major bushfire threats. But then COVID hit, and I fell off the wagon in a big way. I doubt I’m the only one, unfortunately. It was a very difficult middle of the year, and I only really managed to find my mojo again towards the end of the year, leading into NaNo in November. So, while I had an exceedingly good NaNo, the rest of the year was very…bleh. Not something I’d like to have repeated. I have so many goals you guys, so many exciting things that I want to achieve this year.
My biggest goal for this year is, of course, to publish another book. My latest book is well on it way through the editing process and I’ve got a solid plan for getting it done ideally by the middle of the year. The working title for this project is Nameless (no, I haven’t quite refused to title a book yet, but this is pretty close, haha) and it’s set in the world of my Song Magic series, The Crystal Tree and The Shattering Song. It’s set in the same world as these two books, but hosts a cast of new characters and a brand new adventure. Set high in the mountains in the dead of the harshest winter the village has seen in a hundred years, an injured magician seeks safety, and a ravenous terrifying beast stalks the villagers. It’s one of my favourite books I’ve written so far, and I can’t wait to be able to share it with people very soon. I’ll hopefully be looking for beta readers in February sometime, so if this interests you at all, keep an eye out for that!
I’m also planning on reading more books this year. During the start of the pandemic, and especially around here when we were in lockdown, reading was definitely becoming more and more popular as an escape from reality for a while. For me, it was the exact opposite. For some reason, being stressed and anxious a lot made it more difficult for me to settle down and read. Between March and October, I barely read anything. Let’s just say, my Goodreads reading goal for 2020 didn’t look too healthy. This year, I’m determined that I’m going to fix this. I’m setting myself a fairly conservative goal of reading one book a week this year, though I may have to start reading faster than that if I ever want to catch up on my TBR! It’s towering above my desk, watching my every move. It’s 40 books strong, and growing. 2021 had definitely better be a year of reading before I get crushed under the weight of all those books.
Another big thing I’m planning on doing is making my own books more available. I live in Australia, and as anyone who lives in Australia knows, sites like Amazon hate us. Oh, you can buy through them, but it’ll cost you an arm through the exchange rate, a leg in shipping, and you have to wait six months for your parcel to eventually show up. Plus if you want any of the nice stuff, it’s not available in your country. As I’ve found, ordering my own books is kind of a pain if you live outside one of the major countries. So this year I’m going to be working on making my books more available to more people this year. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I’ll let you know when that happens.
A few of my other, smaller goals include: rewriting a couple of books which I wrote last year, but which need to be slightly replotted for them to work properly. Planning out one new book to write later in the year, probably for NaNoWriMo. Participating in both Camp NaNoWriMo sessions, as well as NaNoWriMo in November. And also, I’d like to post more reviews of the books I’m reading. As an author myself, I know how important reviews can be, and I’d like to give other writers a leg up by reviewing their books as well.
I’ve got quite a few more goals on my list, but I’m still working on my plans for these. I’m planning on making good things happen this year. What I do know is that I’m going to be working to make this year one of reading, writing, following the things I am passionate about, and sharing my love of amazing stories. I’ve managed to crawl out the other sid of 2020 with my love of books undimmed, and I can’t wait to make this year a better one.
These are a couple of my big goals for 2021. What are some of yours? Did you read more than usual in 2020, or did COVID tank your reading year too? What are you most looking forward to doing in 2021? Any books coming out that you’re excited for?
Looking for something to add to your reading list this year? Why not check out my YA fantasy The Crystal Tree? It’s a cosy fantasy adventure about music, magic, sisters, and sacrifices. Plus, you can catch up before Nameless releases later this year! The Crystal Tree is available in ebook and print now!
