2021 Writing Goals-December Update

Since I started this site a couple years back, I’ve posted my goals for the new year and gone back through to update people on my progress. Last year, I kept up with that until March. That’s when my state went into its first lockdown and things got really wild for me both in a good way and in a bad way.

I want to return to that tradition and post my goals here for accountability, but more for the writer who is starting out and wants to watch charted progress of how someone went about doing it.

Last Update 12/28

1. Finish Out of the Machine
   • Completed this a couple of weeks back!
2. Query Out of the Machine
   • Took a couple of days after I finished to let it sit, and then sent it out to my first agent. Haven’t heard anything back yet, but it’s only been 13 days.
   • This is still, of course, out on query with crickets, so far.
   • I’ve heard back from a few agents, and though each was very enthusiastic about my manuscript, still no takers.
   • Haven’t heard back from any more of the agents that I’ve sent my query and manuscript to. I have also submitted it to Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction and will hear back this month on whether or not I won or lost.
3. Get $3,000 from pre-order sales of my classes, stories, and games
   • I have only sold just under a thousand in pre-order sales, but I’m hoping to raise that number through the spring and summer.
   • Pre-sales for most of my products is over, and I only have a month to clear around $2,000 grand
   • This one I FAILED by $1,500
4. Release my writing courses
   • These are slated for release in July.
   • My classes are alive and well. Grab a spot today!
5. Release speciality stories and games
   • These’ll be coming out throughout the spring and summer.
   • Plagued Company, my short story collection, is out at Kobo and through my bookstore. My games are the last to come out, and they are slated for the end of August.
   • I’ve released all of my games!
6. Garner $10,000 in sales from my shop
   • Very far from this goal, but I am still optimistic.
   • I’ll be moving my courses over to my shop to help drive sales and add more items like resources and bundles
   • Still pretty far from this, but I am planning an overhaul on all my shops over the next month. I’m pretty sure I won’t reach this goal by the end of the year, though.
   • Failed because I didn’t do a lot of promotion for the shop and items, and instead moved them to other retailers to reach a wider audience and take a bit of work off my plate.
7. Write, edit, and submit Winter’s Child
   • I have decided to push this project back a year so that I can focus on my other work.
8. Sell 50 pieces
   • As of this week, I have sold 44 pieces, so I think I’ll be able to check this one off the list pretty soon.
   • I think I’m near 70 or so now.
9. Grow email subscribers to 1,000
   • I am pretty behind on this. I was close to 200, but I recently cleansed my subscriber pool of the people who weren’t opening, so now I’m down to 150.
   • Got back up to 200, but still far from 1,000
   • Over 200 subscribers with plans to aggressively grow my list over the next few months
   • Nearing 300, but due to my change in focus, my list growing is happening exteremly slow
   • Failed because I changed my whole system and am refocusing to a new platform, layout, and everything.
10. Edit and release poetry chapbook
    • In the process of doing this now, it’s slated for release next month on the 15th.
    • Readers can grab a copy of my poetry book at Kobo or through my bookstore.
11. Launch Haus of Three Crows LLC website
    • Haus of Three Crows is alive and flying.
12. $100 minimum a month from Medium
    • So far, I’ve cleared this goal every month.
    • Still steadily clearing this goal.
    • I moved away from publishing on Medium and fell beneath this goal by a few bucks in August. FAILED

I have more goals on my list, but these are my writing-specific goals.