Today’s post was delayed because I was off watching Star Wars, but don’t worry, no spoilers here! Instead, just as I did last year, I’m going to take a look back at the writing goals I set for the year.

I said that by 2018, I would:

• Complete my revisions of Hero of the Falari and turn it over to someone to critique.
• Complete my revisions of The Nightbringer.
• Revise Unto Dust and give it an actual title.
• Search for an agent, both by looking for agents in my genre and by participating in events like #PitMad, for Penteract, Agent, and The Nightbringer.
• Have at least 3 short stories which have either been accepted or I’m actively submitting to markets.
• Complete my role in at least 3 more video game projects.
• Earn 50% of my freelance income outside of Fiverr/Upwork/etc.
• Take steps to double my blog traffic.
• Participate in at least two book signing events.
• Seek opportunities to give a presentation to a class at my undergraduate school.

So how did I do this year?

As planned, I revised Hero of the Falari (and had it critiqued), The Nightbringer, and my third novel, which lost its working title in favor of The Time of Adversity. I’ve been diligently searching for an agent.

I focused more on my novels this year than short stories, but I still met my goal. It Came Back was published this year, and I have three other stories I’ve been submitting.

Next up, I made a good deal of progress on video game projects. In addition to completing my role in Ascendant Hearts, Chaos Souls (available now), and Parachronism: Order of Chaos, I also wrote scripts for several short puzzle games.

My remaining goals for 2017 focused less on writing itself, and more on the business around it. Due to the fees involved with freelance sites like Fiverr and Upwork, I wanted to lower my dependence on them. This year, I shifted away from Fiverr entirely, and I now make 50% of my freelance income from outside such sites, just as I promised.

However, I did not take steps to double my blog traffic. I admit I forgot.

I participated in three book signings, one at Seton Hill University, one at a local fall festival, and one at the Wellsboro BookFest. They were worthwhile events, and I hope to continue participating in them.

Finally, I didn’t give any presentations at my undergraduate school, because the classes I’d intended to approach weren’t being offered.

Overall, it was a good year. I didn’t accomplish all of my goals, but I completed the majority of them. Now it’s time to set my goals for 2018…