Since I started this site a few years back, I’ve posted my goals for the new year and gone back through them to update my progress as the year progresses. This year on top of my regular writing work, I’m also pursuing an MFA in Fiction, so some of what I’ll be working on is aimed more at developing skills than completing projects.
Here are my goals and updates for the past five years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 for interested people. That’s five years of writing goals that chart my career, my work, and how I’ve grown over the years. As always, I hope this provides any writer a roadmap and inspiration to design their careers. It also bears noting that I am a full-time writer with no other jobs but writing and editing.
Last Updated: January 2026
2025 Intention: Challenge myself as a writer
- Teach an in person class
- May Update: I sent out some proposals to see if I can do this at one of the cons I’ll be going to this year (WorldCon) and have started building out a class to pitch to local colleges and universities, but I have not taught anything in person yet.
- November Update: I’ve submitted proposals out to places and have not heard back yet besides a couple of rejections.
- January Update: I did not end up teaching any in person classes but I led a couple of online workshops and still have pitches and applications out at places.
Lead a team at work- May Update: Done and done! There has been some legal business changes that I’ve been keeping track of and led me to lead a cross-team and department content project where I served as the lead for multiple teams and project manager.
Edit my horror thriller novel- May Update: Reading through the first draft and aiming to start actual edits in July after my residency and finishing reading the draft.
- November Update: I’ve finished reading through the first draft of the novel and have started on rewriting the whole book focusing fixing issues I noticed in the first draft. I should be done with my rewrite by the end of the year and just crossed the 60K mark on the rewrite.
Study: history, science, and psychology- May Update: I have been going through a lecture series on YouTube for psychology and have read some history and science books, but feel as though I really need to focus more on this particular goal to get more info in.
- November Update: I fell behind majorly in this and have been doing some history learning and science but no psychology and it’s all been very passive—documentaries playing in the background, watching cooking shows that feature history tidbits.
- January Update: While I didn’t read as many books and do as much work around this goal, I still made a concentrated effort to learn more about the world around me.
Learn fiction forms and story structures- May Update: Besides working on my own fiction form and structure that I am trying to create, I have not spent any time on this project. I’m aiming to give space to this during the second half of the year.
- November Update: I’ve spent sometime reading books on different story structures and experimenting with writing in different story forms, but I don’t feel as though I have really given space to this throughout the year like I would have liked.
- January Update: Worked on building a new story structure of my own and studied them book to book as I read.
Pitch creative nonfiction articles- May Update: I’ve pitched several to a couple of outlets and am writing a piece for WorldCon, but nothing is out and published yet to be shared.
Write 3-5 new skill challenging stories- May Update: I’ve so far written 3 new stories that have all been challenges to my skill and craft, but I have more room and space to write at least 5 more stories this year, so I’ll leave this goal unchecked until I write at least 2 more.
- November Update: I’ve written two more stories and feel like each new piece I write pushes my skills to new heights.
- Complete work on anthology project
- November Update: I have all but given up on this to focus on other work sadly. I have more editorial space now, so I am going to refocus and try and complete work on this so I can maybe complete this goal next year.
- January Update: I did not get any work on this done and have let it go as a goal for now, but I am reaching out to publishers about editing opportunities and am going to keep networking.
Serialize science fiction novel in newsletter- May Update: As long as I get my horror thriller edited by the end of the month, I think I can do this starting in late fall or winter like I did with my last serialized novel.
- November Update: I decide that the science fiction novel I wanted to serialize is best left in the trunk for the time being and instead of been publishing more short stories in my newsletter.
Go to WorldCon- May Update: Tickets bought, writing assignment completed, and all I have to do now is wait for August to come around.
- November Update: WorldCon was a success!
Speak on panels and do talks- May Updated: Done and done. I was on a couple of panels at NorWesCon and will be on some at WorldCon.
- Sell Forest in the Distance
- May Update: No luck so far, but it’s out and gonna stay out this whole year until it sells. If I can’t sell this novella this year, then I will either tuck it into a short story collection with some published work and previously unpublished work and try and sell that as a package.
- November Update: I’ve had Forest in the Distance on submission all year and have only received rejections. One place still has yet to respond, but I do not think they will do so before the end of the year.
- January Update: Still waiting to hear back from two places about my outstanding submission. I have compiled a short story collection and included the novella as part of it. I’m submitting the collection out to contests and publishers, so I am still searching for a home for the book.
- Write innovative craft articles
- May Update: I am in the process of writing these out now so I can publish them on this website.
- November Update: The one article I started on this has ballooned into a more book length project that I am currently writing but do not think I’ll have finished by the end of the year.
- January Update: I wrote a few pieces on my newsletter around structure, expectations, and other techniques. I will say I do not feel as though they are innovative enough or practical for others to use.
If you’re new to the website, consider subscribing to stay up to date with all my posts. I normally post once or twice a month and it’s always about writing and my author career. I’m Aigner! An award nominated writer of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and all things weird. You can check out all my stories here.
Aigner Loren Wilson 