2023 Writing Goals & reflecting on 2022
2022 was a bit of a weird year for me. Promotion and events for THE BOY FROM THE MISH/READY WHEN YOU ARE didn’t really slow down. I found myself speaking about my book in places like Byron Bay, Albury, Melbourne and Moranbah. I’ve been thinking about my writing goals for the year and before I can set them, I’ve spent some time reflecting on my goals for 2022.
photo by Angi High Photography
Here were my 2022 writing goals:
1. Promote ‘Ready When You Are’ in March.
I was lucky enough to do a few virtual events to promote Ready When You Are in the U.S, the highlight for me was an in-conversation with fellow YA author, Vitor Martins.
2. Complete edits/revisions on book 2.
Revisions were completed and I am in the process of copyedits right now. My second young adult novel now has a title: WE DIDN’T THINK IT THROUGH.
3. Finish middle-grade fantasy.
I finished it and it was shit. It was a great exercise for me though, as through writing it, I once again found the joy in writing. I was able to remind myself how fun writing can be through writing this shitty manuscript. Maybe I’ll come back to it one day…
4. Blog more.
I blogged more than I did in 2021, but only by a post or two. I do want blog posts to be a part of my life, but I find myself wondering if I actually have anything interesting to say in a blog. Maybe 2023 will bring some inspiration.
MY WRITING GOALS FOR 2023
Complete edits and Promote WE DIDN’T THINK IT THROUGH
My second young adult novel, WE DIDN’T THINK IT THROUGH, is due to come out mid-2023. I’ve still got a few events for THE BOY FROM THE MISH coming up in the early parts of the year, so I’m hoping to get those out of the way and head into promoting book 2. WE DIDN’T THINK IT THROUGH is a very different story and requires a very different approach to speaking engagements. The conversations around the book will touch on some similar topics, but for the most part, WE DIDN’T THINK IT THROUGH will be a different approach all together. I am still figuring out how to speak about it, so my goal is to be ready for those conversations, and to be more prepared than I was for my debut. I will aim to do a launch in my hometown again, and will try for a launch event in Sydney.
2. Draft a new young adult manuscript
Okay, I may have already done this. I started a manuscript just before Christmas and finished a first draft in late January. It’s messy and long, but there is something there I’m really excited about. My goal with this manuscript is to complete revisions and get it into good enough shape to send to my publisher. I’ll aim to do this in the next few months.
3. Draft a new middle grade manuscript
I have this idea for a limited series of middle grade horror stories, each story not connected to the others but within a wider series, kind of like Goosebumps. Okay, to be honest, Goosebumps is the inspiration for this. I loved those scary stories when I was a kid and I truly believe they are the reason I fell in love with books and reading. I’d love to do that for another kid who might only be intrigued into reading by a scary story with Aboriginal characters defeating monsters and evil. I’ve got an idea I’m sitting on for the moment, an idea I actually came up with when I was nine years old. My goal is to get that idea into a middle grade manuscript draft this year.
4. Blog more!
I only managed three posts in 2022. I hope to blog more this year, but I don’t know that I will. I guess I’m not sure exactly what to blog about. We shall see!