2023 Writing Goals

Writing has always been a key part in who I am. It’s been put on the backburner throughout life, but it’s never left me. I would compare it to a persistent ex-boyfriend, but I actually like the fact that my urge to write never completely leaves me.

I want to pester it back in 2023 and forevermore. I want to speak (type) my mind out. Put it out there for others to dissect and diagnose.

Among other goals for the year, I set three specific writing related goals.

1. Self-publish my debut novel

This is a lofty one, but it’s my main goal for the year. The first draft was completed in 2017, and ever since then, I’ve been trying to “perfect” it. Granted, it will never be perfect. I could read it years from now and still find little quips here and there to change. That’s just how it is. But I’ve spent the better part of 2022 trying to get it as close as possible to perfect.

I can go into my reasoning as to why I want to self publish – and I probably will at some point – but I can genuinely say I’ve loved the process so far. Learning about industry standards while not having to sacrifice on creative freedom and control has been the best.

I’m scared to even put this out there, because what if I don’t do it, what if I fail? I still have a lot to do to even be close to thinking about a publication date.

Maybe this can be my accountability post. And besides, I said 2023, not an exact date, so I have 365 days to complete it.

2. Focus more on blog posts

In 2022, I decided to write about every book I read (which you can read more about here). Through that I was able to go back to what I love – writing just to write. This year, I want to focus more on growing my blog through writing about more than just books; I want to write about love, loss, & desperation. (If you get that reference, let’s become best friends, okay?)

It was fun writing about the books, it let me sit with them and somewhat put my literature degree to use. But I want to write about more. Before life got into the way, it seems like I wrote anything and everything about everything and anything. I want to get back to that, regardless if people read it or not.

I miss the girl who would write her mind and put it on the internet for others to read. (I never thought I’d say I miss high school me, but sometimes you surprise yourself).

No one can read it if it’s not out there. So someone’s gotta put it out there.

3. Work on my other fiction

The aforementioned novel isn’t my only work of fiction. It was just the first to see completion. Since its first draft, I’ve completed two others and roughly outlined two more. I want to show them some love. They’ve been sitting in the depths of my laptop without seeing the light of day for too long.

I don’t see myself completing another novel in 2023, but who knows? I’m just aiming to get words on paper and start the first round of edits on my second novel.

I would love to pursue writing more as a career goal and not necessarily just a hobby, so here’s to that in 2023. I’ve never been one to make New Years’ Resolutions and keep them, but these aren’t resolutions to change myself, these are goals to put work into passion.

Call this my first step to putting my goals out there and speaking them into the universe of existence.