CREATE: Writing Goals for 2021

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron 15:7).

In light of my word for the year, “create,” I’ve set two major writing goals for 2021.

I’m getting closer to finishing my first Christian cozy mystery novel, which I’ve titled Death by Dice: A Bunco Club Mystery. You may not know the story behind this book, but it’s been quite a process. I started writing it in early 2016 as a novella, and I completed it about a year later with 20,000 words. Then I decided to challenge myself further and add enough content for a complete novel. It’s taken several years and multiple starts and stops (I’ve quit for up to a year at a time twice due to health and family emergencies). Since last April, I’ve written steadily, and now I have a completed draft at just over 64,000 words! I’m making final revisions, and I’ll send it to my content editor and beta readers within a few weeks. Thanks to all my friends who checked in and held me accountable for finishing this project! Continue reading “CREATE: Writing Goals for 2021”

A New Year = A New Start

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron 15:7).

The new year is one of my favorite times. All the chatter about goals and productivity and self-improvement fills me up. I carve out time to evaluate my progress on the previous year’s goals, and I use that information to set new goals.

What I learned when looking at 2019 was that I had veered off track on my writing goals, and unfortunately, I didn’t meet a single one.

Even so, 2019 held some valuable lessons. I took a good, hard look at the year: what worked, what didn’t, and more importantly, why. With that information in mind, I set new goals for 2020. Continue reading “A New Year = A New Start”