Taking Stock of My Year: 2017 Accomplishments & 2018 Goals

Once again it’s time to take stock of what I’ve accomplished in the last year and what I’d like to do in the next one. As I said last year, I live in a perpetual state of feeling like I’ve never accomplished enough. So sometimes it’s healthy for me to take a minute to say, “Look, you did these things. There’s actual proof!” Also, that's one of my goals for 2018, to believe I am, and do, and have enough. Because I am, and do, and have enough. It's true.

In 2017, I published the following new books:

In 2017, I released the following audiobooks:

In 2017, I also:

1. wrote 90,000 words of a Christmas book that will be released in December 2018
2. wrote 33,000 words of Alpha Heat, the sequel to Slow Heat to be released in 2018
3. wrote 15,000 words of a new Blake Moreno book
4. added almost 10,000 words to a m/f serial I poke at off and on every year
5. edited or revised several other unfinished manuscripts, adding words, re-imagining them, or edging them closer to completion
6. content edited 9 works by other authors ranging in length from 10,000 words to 140,000 words

IN ADDITION, in 2017, I began my Patreon account. This account has been the source of immense emotional, social, and financial support in the last year and I'm so grateful for each and every patron there. I can't express how much they all mean to me and how they've made so much of the good things that happened this year possible. They funded the audiobooks. They held my hand through the realization that my Christmas book would not be ready for release this year. They've waited for promised books to have their turn. There's something to be said for the constant knowledge that I have approximately 100 people out there who believe in me and the books so very much that they are my monthly patrons. My heart swells near to bursting and when writing gets hard, that knowledge is the reason I go on with it. Well, that and the fact that I can't ever NOT go on with it.

Last year in my year end round-up post, I said, "It’s my belief that 2017 will be a building year for me. It will be a lot of work and expense with potentially little profit. It will probably feel a lot like the uphill part of the roller coaster..." and that was a fairly accurate prediction. As you can see, there have been many runs at increasing or creating word count on future book potentialities.

Which brings me to my 2018 Goals…

1. Alpha Heat, Slow Birth, and Alpha Birth - these are my top priority books for 2018.
2. Mr. Frosty-Pants - editing and fixing the 90,000 word rough draft in time for Christmas 2018 is my second priority.
3. Don't Get Me Wrong - 90's Coming of Age Book 3 - editing and completing this book, of which I have a 90,000 word rough draft, is my third priority for 2018.
4. If I manage to get all of the above completed, then I have a Blake Moreno book that I have a rough draft of and a Leta Blake book 40% completed, and I'd choose which of those to focus on.

I actually have several other books listed in my Official 2018 Publishing Plan, stretch goals so to speak. But I won't mention them here because I feel like managing expectations is probably important, and, frankly, what I've listed above is a lot given the realities of my current life as mother of a tween.

I have a number of personal goals for 2018, too, including yoga and travel plans. 2017 was a dark year for me and I do believe that the current political atmosphere negatively impacted my output in a lot of ways. But I'm heading into 2018 with a new outlook regarding my work and myself: I am enough, I do enough, and I have enough. I will make what I can, as I can, and I won't make myself depressed or sick trying to achieve more, more, more.

Now, to sign off for the year. THANK YOU to all of you amazing, wonderful, fantastic readers and fans out there. You've made my writing career a dream come true, and I'm grateful to each and every one of you. I know that when you read a book, you're spending your precious time, something that can't ever be gotten back, and I'm beyond grateful for the fact that so many of you choose to spend that sweet time with my characters and books. My joy and sincere wonder in that can't be expressed in words. Instead, I'll try to radiate it out to you like a shining sun.

May 2018 bring you all the knowledge that you, too, are enough, do enough, and have enough. May the darkness we've been swimming in be purified in the light generated by our love for each other and our determination to bring about a better tomorrow for all of our families, and for ourselves. Cheers!

Cross-posted to https://letablake.com/2017/12/30/taking-stock-of-my-year-2017-accomplishments-2018-goals/