My 2022 Goals and Writing Regrets (#IWSG Jan 2022)

Posted January 5, 2022 in Creative Writing / 12 Comments

writing update

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that you’re starting the year happy and healthy. After a difficult couple of months, I’m excited by the fresh start that the New Year brings. So far, it’s been off to a good start and I’ve been powering through my to-do list, so I’m feeling very smug and accomplished. Next on my agenda is finishing off all the leftover mince-pies and cake so that I can start to eat healthily again!

I’m using today’s IWSG post as an opportunity to share my goals for 2022, which always makes them feel more ‘official’, even though I’m not really strict about them and sometimes change them as I go along.

Gif of Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean saying "The code is more what you'd call guidelines, than actual rules."

My Goals for 2022

Writing

  • Finally finish the first draft of my science fantasy novel. 😅
  • Get my short story, “Honey, I Shrunk the Earth” published (tried, but got rejected).
  • Finish writing my Midsummer Night’s Dream retelling.
  • Write at least 3 more short stories and submit them to anthology contests (did 1).
  • Join in with at least 3 WEP flash fiction challenges.
  • Attend at least one author event with my book stall.
  • Send out 4 issues of my author newsletter, Daydreamer’s Digest.
  • Get 35 new subscribers to my newsletter.
  • Add 12 articles to my author website.
  • Attend at least 3 local writers accountability meetings on Zoom.
  • Fill another diary with memories.

Reading

Blogging

  • Write 60 blog posts. (did 66)
  • Successfully complete the Blogging from A-Z challenge again.
  • Gain at least 10 new followers on WordPress. (got 5)
  • Get at least 500 blog comments.

Personal

  • Sucessfully manage my daughter’s T1 Diabetes (get her BG levels consistent and avoid hospital admission).
  • Get an average of 7 hours sleep a night (according to my FitBit). (Hahahahaha)
  • Get back in the habit of dancing/zumba/aerobics for at least 45 minutes a week.
  • Get my BMI back into the healthy range.
  • Stay out of my overdraft and end the year with more savings than I started with.
  • Get the bathroom redecorated.
  • Learn to cook/bake at least 1 new recipe.
  • Go on at least 1 UK holiday (maybe Centerparcs?).
  • Book a trip to Disneyland Paris for 2022 or 2023.
  • Go to at least 1 comic convention.
  • See at least 1 show at the theatre.

Writing Regrets

This month’s optional question:

What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

The only thing I regret is not starting sooner. I wasted a lot of time when I was younger because I didn’t believe in myself enough to finish projects I started, let alone attempt to publish them. I was very self-critical and didn’t have the confidence to share my work with others. Yet, when I was young and child-free I had so much more free time. If only I’d used it more productively!

Happily, since engaging with the writing community through blogging, I’ve gained much more self-belief and honed my craft. I’m learning more about writing from my blogging buddies all the time and gaining valuable feedback. I’m also reassured when I hear about writers who started their careers later in life. I suppose it’s never really too late to follow your passion.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group post on the first Wednesday of every month. We want to help writers of all stages to overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

This month’s awesome co-hosts are:  Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

Did you have a good holiday season? Do you have any writing news or goals to share? Let me know in the comments!

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12 responses to “My 2022 Goals and Writing Regrets (#IWSG Jan 2022)

  1. Mrs J Nealn

    It’s certainly never too late to follow your passion – I should know 😉. You’re taking on a great deal but that’s great; I know you can do it. You have a spine of steel so, if overwhelmed, power on and it will get better. Enjoy the challenges and reaping the rewards, which I know you’ll achieve.

  2. Goodluck!
    I specially like the idea of the goal of un-hauling some books, as that’s one good thing to do — chunk everything that was “meh” or that you don’t wanna get back to. I did it not too long ago, and now I aim to just chunck them out as I go & read them 😅 or DNF them (as I didn’t touched my unread shelf)

    • Thanks. I got the idea from a couple of other bloggers (can’t remember who off the top of my head). I’m a bit of a hoarder, but there’s no point in keeping the books that I’m not going to re-read when I could make space for new, shiny ones. Getting rid of them as you go is even better. I should probably do that rather than hoarding them all in the first place.

  3. Hi Anstice!
    Happy New Year!

    That’s a great set of goals.
    The WEP flash fiction challenges are a great way to flex your writing muscles. I’m also hoping to sign up again for the WEP challenges.
    With regards to personal reading, I sign up on Goodreads every year. This year I only pledged 12 books because I’m back to full-time teaching and so I have to manage my time wisely.

    Good luck with all your goals! 😄

    • Happy New Year to you too. I also work in a school (literacy intervention). It’s so hard to fit in reading around such a demanding full-time job, isn’t it? Most evenings I’m just exhausted. 12 books is a good goal.

  4. Happy New Year! Good luck with your goals as well. And good luck with your daughter’s diabetes as well. I went back and read a few posts to catch up and saw your post about that. Sending all good wishes and support your way!!!

    I can relate to your regrets about not writing sooner. But it’s never too late right? Your ideas sound fun. And a retelling of Midummer’s- cool!

    Be well!

    • Thanks, Greg. It has been a steep learning curve but my daughter has coped incredibly well. We are very proud of her.
      My MND retelling is a sci-fi/dystopian story. Hoping I can breathe some new life into it.

  5. Okay, I have to make a list like this! Thanks for the inspiration to write it all down. I was reading along and thinking, “Oh, I can do that, and that, and that, oh, I never thought of that one…” Love this!

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