I’m not usually one to make New Years resolutions. At least not formally. When the ball drops each New Years Eve, I may have a vague idea of what I’d like to work on or make a priority in the upcoming year, but largely, I get annoyed when people ask.
And don’t even get me started on vision boards. You can’t pay me to cut up old magazines or even slap meaningful images on a Canva template. It’s just not for me.
But here’s the thing. I tried something new in 2024 that really impacted the way I write (more on that in a minute). And it made me rethink a few things. Goals and priorities included. Maybe there is value in identifying how and where I want to spend my time.
When I first started writing my debut novel, I Loved You Yesterday, I repurposed an old screenplay from gradate school. I had the characters, setting, and plot already mapped out. It made it easy for me to take the plotter approach because by and large, the story was already there. I just had to reconfigure and tell it from a new angle.
Because that process was so smooth, I adopted the plotter approach for the next five books that I wrote. From the first chapter to the very last, I mapped out what would happen, how my characters would change, the dialogue, internal and external conflict, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, this approach worked well. It helped me learn how to tell a story. But oh my gosh, did I get bored. I remember dreading writing some of the final chapters in my sixth novel. Plotting took the fun and creative elements away from me.
When I started writing my seventh story, Rudderless in Love, though, I tried something wildly new. I just opened a document and started typing… letting the story evolve on the page word by word without a compass to guide me. I did the same with my eighth novel, The Lab Partner Contract.
The pantser approach has been good to me this year. I love the creative freedom it allows and the new perspective I’ve gained. And to be honest, I think my two most recent stories are my best to date. And much of that can be attributed to the flexibility this new approach allowed me.
So, why not try something new again? Rather than vaguely thinking about my 2025 goals, I decided to write them down and flesh them out for my January blog. Without further ado, here are my five goals for 2025:
1 – Write more. In 2024, I published three books, basically back-to-back (January, June & November). When I wasn’t in the throes of editing, I was building a street team, sending out ARC copies, creating graphics for social media, writing copy for social media, collaborating with influencers and promotional services, etc. The list goes on. Not only was it exhausting, repetitive, and expensive, but it was also time consuming! As of now, I have no plans to publish in 2025 and I am totally okay with that. I need a break.
With the exception of a few in-person events I’ve committed to attend, classes I’ve agreed to teach, and book coaching clients I’ve committed to help, 2025 will largely be a year of writing new stories. And I flippin’ can’t wait to dive in! It may be lofty, but I think I can produce three new stories. Hold me accountable to that!
2 – Read more. I love reading. What author doesn’t? But for the past few years, I’ve felt a lot of guilt when I dive into a new book. Every minute I spend reading someone else’s story is a minute I could be using to write my own. I’m going to work on releasing that guilt because I know there’s inherently a lot of value in reading. Not only does it help generate ideas and build vocabulary, but it’s restorative and relaxing. My goal for 2025 is to read one book per month for a total of 12 books.
I have a large TBR pile, mostly made up of contemporary romance. But I would also like to explore romantic suspense, romantasy, and even dark romance. Toss in a celebrity memoir or two, and I’ll be set!
3 – Secure a literary agent. I’ve done a significant amount of work in the last couple months that I know will set me up for success in 2025. While I won’t dig too much into it here, I feel extremely positive and hopeful that a new publishing path is on the horizon for me because I have more stories to share! I’ll pick this topic back up in a future blog because there’s a lot more to dive into.
4 – Less promotion, more community building on social media. With a potential TikTok ban looming and a less-than helpful algorithm on Instagram, I’m declaring 2025 as my year to cultivate and build a strong community of bookish friends. While I can’t promise I won’t toss in a few promotional posts here and there (I mean, I still have to SELL what I’ve published, haha!), I’m going to look at social media through a new lens.
I love Instagram (and have a growing interest in Threads) and know there’s a great opportunity to connect with readers and authors. Instead of scrolling and posting promos, my focus and attention will be on conversation, connection, and community.
5 - Monthly newsletter, blog, rinse & repeat. I’ve been blogging (mostly monthly) since early 2021. For a time, blogging felt like a “to-do” list item that didn’t have a strong ROI. But these last few months have helped me realize that blogging doesn’t just have to be about sharing knowledge. It’s also a great accountability tool (like this exact blog post!) and creative outlet. I feel energized and inspired to push forward and build my blog even more.
Additionally, I’ll continue to send out a monthly newsletter (you can subscribe here!). I’ve built an email list of over 1,000 subscribers and I intend to stay engaged and committed to this group of wonderful readers. On the 10th of every month, a newsletter will be waiting!
2024 was really good to me, but I have no doubt 2025 has just as many incredible things in store. Cheers to a new year!
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