It’s been a year since my first book was published. That’s right, Contract Taken has been available for an entire year! And I’ve only wanted to gank it down and burn it four times.
As the anniversary was coming up, I found myself looking back over the previous year at what I’ve gotten done.
Seven and a half books published (a half because the eighth is up, but not live yet) and written seven books.
Earlier today, I had somehow counted eight books. The first Contracted trilogy was written before Contract Taken had published. I have two books written and not yet published, another almost written, a fourth half-written, another three chapters into it and then NaNoWriMo is coming up.
I have all these books and no plan to actually get it done. I write a book, then immediately launch into the editing and publishing of the book.
Today at my day job, it dawned on me.
Goals are very important, without a goal you won’t achieve much. Or, you’ll have a goal, but no way to make that goal because you need little goals to get to the big goal.
I think I’m trying to quote my grade three teacher.
I’m tired and quite drained.
So, the basic gist of it is that I’ve been looking over the past year and then looking at the next year and wondering what to do with myself. I plan to keep writing and publishing, but how I could I build on what I’ve got now?
About an hour after it occurred to me that I should have a goal, like honestly sit down and decide something about the next year before I just decide to do whatever and only get a book or two written.
I am going to try to write twelve books in the next twelve months, starting with Contract Claimed during NaNoWriMo.
Seed, which is almost done, is not going to be completed in this number. I’m actually hoping to have the remaining chapters written before November 1st. Hopefully…
This doesn’t mean that I’ll be publishing a book every month. It only means that I’ll be writing a book a month. I may stick to the two month publishing routine that I’ve been doing, but then at least the books are written and ready to go. I’ve been able to relax with Fragments and I’m not quite so stressed about everything that’s going on with the book already written.
So… twelve books in twelve months. What are the books? Well, they’re up in the air basically, but my tentative plan is as follows:
Contract Claimed – November
His Wings – December
Crop – December/January
His Halo – January
Harvest – January/February
And that’s where things get weird. Crop and Harvest are being written on my phone, and could very well be the last books written on my phone, as next April I’m moving. The move will change a great deal, and I will no longer have a commute, which means I might no longer employ the use of my phone in writing.
I also come to a stand still on my plans. Those books have kind of been planned out. The plot for Crop and Harvest is complete and simply awaiting my completion of books that come before them. So is His Wings. They all go along together and are part of series and such that are already up and active.
After those are written, the rest are planned in no particular order:
Contract Sealed
Contract Delivered
Prototype
Sugar and Spice
The Visitors
Of course, this is a tentative schedule and there are months still to go. I could get to January and just drop everything for some kind of other hybrid. I’m really great at creating worlds, but not always completing them. Which is kind of the point of this exercise.
Besides, you know, writing a bunch of books that will get edited and published eventually…
Aya DeAniege 