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. In 2026, I want to spend time doing dedicated focus work on my career and craft.
Here are my goals and updates for the past six years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 for interested people. That’s six years of writing goals that chart my career, my work, and how I’ve grown. As always, I hope this provides any writer a roadmap and inspiration to design their careers.
Last Updated: May 2026
2026 Intention: Level up career and craft
Graduate from Bennington- May Update: On track to graduate next month! Ticket is booked and thesis is being edited as we speak.
- September Update: I graduated! More on this soon.
Submit short story collection to contests- May Update: I changed this to querying agents first after talking with my teachers at school and having them recommend that I start with agents. I sent off my query last month and am just waiting to hear back. I’m currently writing a post on my full querying experience and the direction I got from teachers.
Write nonfiction book proposal- May Update: I’ve decided to cut this from the goals for the year since I have other book projects in the works. I also think that the nonfiction book I want to write the proposal for would be better suited for after I finish the fiction works I am trying to publish. Having those out in the world will give more creditability to the nonfiction book.
Edit horror thriller novel and prep for query in 2027- May Update: I finished the book last month! This month I am in full thesis editing mode, so I have started editing the opening pages of my novel and am still set on editing it through the rest of the year into next. I’m not clinging to having it done and ready to query or submit by 2027. I have other projects in the works (one of which is already on query) that will be ready before this horror thriller.
- September Update: I have begun edits on the book and printed out the whole 600+ page draft to move through it page by page and analyze the story for what it’s doing and what is working or not working. I also had an agent request to read it based on a pitch, so I did query the pages that were ready. My plan is to do a slow and methodical edit of this novel over the next year since it’s doing so much and very ambitious.
Read and submit/pitch to magazines regularly- May Update: I’m on a cadence of submitting out stories regularly to magazines or anthologies monthly and pitching magazines weekly. I’ve got a couple of upcoming articles coming out that I’ll share when they are published.
- September Update: I pitch at least 3-5 stories a month and have gotten to the place where I am living in the world enough, contemplating it, and reading widely that story ideas for articles are coming more naturally
- Submit short stories to anthologies
- May Update: See above
- September Update: I took a pause on this during the summer to focus on editing my short story collection and prepping my novel to query. I may start up again during the fall, but I can tell that I am moving a bit away from short fiction publishing and it’s taking up less of my focus. I do have a bank of 20 or so stories that I want to place, though, so I will most likely at some point start firing off submissions again.
- Study technology, religion, and philosophy
- May Update: I’ve been reading 1-3 books in each category a month but am not as far into this as I would like.
- September Update: Still reading, still learning!
- Study trauma narrative and writing in horror
- May Update: I have fallen off of this and haven’t been giving it as much space, though I have been reading a lot of horror.
- September Update: I was able to clear several projects off my plate over the last couple of months, so I now have the space to turn my attention back to this and start working on a study that I hope to be pretty fundamental to my career.
- Finish dialogue guide book
- May Update: I’ve pushed this off till after school and after writing my fiction books.
- September Update: I have pushed this off almost entirely while I focus on a back log of posts for my site and Substack. I may be able to come back to this later this year and start publishing the book in a series of posts either on this page or my writing website.
Write stories based on passion and intrigue- May Update: I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories that come to me lately and where I want to put my creative time and I’ve come to learn that I’m moving out of my short story era and into my longer works era.
Build games and other writing systems/tools- May Update: I’ve made a playable card game, Paper or Plastic, that is a container type card game where players build grocery bags based off cards they draw. I’ve played it myself a few times, with my partner, and with my cohort. It works and is really fun to play. I’ve also made the Scene Builder, a free digital tool version of my popular craft articles Spreadsheeting Your Novel and Scene Cards. It’s in beta mode right now for anyone to sign up and use. It helps you build your stories scene by scene with the necessary elements to make your scenes work and drive your story.
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 