My 2017 To-Do List

I’m one of these people that needs lists if I’m ever going to get anywhere. Sometimes, I get so scrambled when I think about all the things I need to do, that I get overwhelmed. Then I go on a walk and literally talk myself down, wandering through my neighborhood and muttering to myself: “Okay, we need to do this first. Then this. Then this.” And slowly, slowly, I figure it all out, all over again.

For this upcoming year, I’ve got a lot of talking-myself-down to do, because I have so many things to do. But I hope that, in the end, my readers can get a lot out of my new efforts. So here is my “2017 To-Do List”, for whatever it’s worth.

For the Blog & Website

1. I will start a newsletter. It’s going to center around my , with an easy-to-access list of the month’s upcoming events. I’ll also have a section on myself and my publishing efforts, as well as a summary of last month’s blog posts, but both of these will be small and unobtrusive. Mostly, I intend the whole thing to feel non-spammy, and happen only monthly, possibly bi-monthly as needed.
2. I will blog properly. Once a week, every week, a new post is going to come out, even if it’s nothing but a paragraph of (hopefully interesting) text. I think I’m going to plan on doing short, easy-access tips across all aspects of the writing process, from plotting to publication.
3. I will focus more on my Events Calendar. I need to drive traffic to this, as I feel it is the most useful part of my website. This may involve purchasing an additional domain name, which will route to my author site.
4. I will make my site more reliable. I am going to get a new hosting service with GreenGeeks, in the hopes that my site doesn’t go down all the time like it does with Bluehost. I may also change the look of the site, as my current theme is losing its tech support come February, and I would much rather use a theme with lifetime tech support than keep renewing this one over and over.

For the Writing

1. I will query The Tower With No Walls. I had a professional editor tell me it was ready to send to SFF agents. The book is as ready as it will ever be, barring a few last comments from a CP.
2. I will do a first edit of The Goddess Candidate, then more. This was my NaNoWriMo project this year, and it’s in rough shape, but I’m excited to see it become something greater.
3. I will polish more short stories and submit them. I want to be able to join SFWA to further my career, and publishing anything is a step forward in that. I’ve already compiled r a list of SFWA-approved SFF markets to submit to.
4. I will attend the Michigan Writing Workshop. It’s practically in my backyard, and has six (SIX!) agents attending that accept fantasy. Epic win.

For Social Media

1. I will focus more on networking. This will include more critique giveaways on follower-count milestones, among any other techniques I can use to get one-on-one with my followers.
2. I will offer real prizes for #FriDare. Not sure yet on what I will offer, since I’m broke, but I’d like to enrich the contest in some way.
3. I will reduce and streamline the amount of time I spend on Twitter. Seriously, I shouldn’t spend more than one hour a day on this!
4. I will do more with one other social media avenue (Facebook, Wattpad, YouTube, or something else). I’m still generating ideas on which one to do, and how to do it.

For Life

1. I will look into tutoring creative writing for local youth. I’ll see if there’s a way I can also do it for free in Detroit and other disadvantaged areas local to me. I’ve noticed so many kids trying to write, but they have no place to learn the basics in person. I’d be a much better writer now if I’d known a few of the major writing rules as a kid.
2. I will learn to set gemstones. I need a hobby with a chance at earning me a little money. I’m excited to give this one a try, since gemstones have always fascinated me. Once I even walked into a jewelry store, chatted with a manager about stones, and got a job offer on the spot… so I suppose the potential is there!