Writing Goals for 2016

Weapenry and Patchwork Press are getting ready to make 2016 our best writing year yet, and we want all of you to dream big with us. This week, authors are coming together to start thinking about the coming year and all of the books we’re getting ready to write. If we dream big and write all year round, we can easily make this our best year yet!

What is your favorite writing/publishing memory from 2015?

Seeing my YA romantic fantasy debut, Nobody’s Goddess, go on sale and hearing from readers who enjoyed it. I know it’s out there in a few bookstores and libraries as well, but the first time I saw it “in the wild” was just recently at a branch of my local library. That was a cool moment.

Also, my first signing was at BookCon! I felt awkward, but I had a lot of fun thanks to my boyfriend and my bestie/beta reader, Melissa Giorgio.

What story are you most looking forward to working on in 2016?

I want to finish the YA suspense I started in September. It’s my second time tackling this concept, and I completely revised a few major things about an old, shelved draft. It’s been tough for me to feel passionate about this project, but I’m determined to see it all the way through.

Are you the type of person who makes New Year’s resolutions? Why or why not?

Usually not, no. I don’t like the feeling of defeat that comes along with not meeting my goals.

What area(s) of your writing/publishing process are you going to work on improving in 2016? (dialogue, marketing, output, pacing, formatting, etc.)

Not repeating the same gestures over and over even in the drafting stage. (“She crossed her arms,” “I bit my lip” type of things.) It takes a lot of work to fix that in revising, and it’d be nice if I just didn’t rely on the same descriptions while drafting!

How would you describe a successful publishing year in 2016? What goals are you working toward?

I hope more and more people discover Nobody’s Goddess so Nobody’s Lady (out April 12) is successful as well. I hope to get my Wattpad-first Patchwork Press title, Fall Far from the Tree, featured on Wattpad so more people discover it, and I’ll finish publishing all of it on Wattpad in 2016. I’m hoping I can then release the e-book and paperback versions in late 2016, although it may be 2017.

If you had to guess, what do you think your biggest challenge will be when it comes to publishing and writing next year?

I need to get this YA suspense to a place where I’m satisfied with it and then start querying agents again.

How far ahead do you plan your writing schedule? Do you prefer to prepare or to see where your muses take you?

I don’t really schedule my writing. Now that I’m finished drafting my contracted work (THE NEVER VEIL SERIES), I just have to worry about revisions for those books whenever they’re ready for me to work on them. Besides that, I can write what I please!

Tell us about something non book related that you’re currently looking forward to for 2016.

Going to NYC again (as I do at least once a year to visit my boyfriend’s family) and attending C2E2 and BookCon in Chicago… Although I guess that’s book-related.

If you could offer up one piece of advice to other authors and writers for 2016, what would it be?

Don’t give up! It’s really easy to give up and ignore your little successes in the face of larger failures. But every little success counts!

What about you? What goals (bookish and otherwise) are you planning to work toward in 2016? Let us know in the comments! Weapenry will be giving away ebook packs of both Refilling Your Inkwell by Kellie Sheridan, and Surviving First Drafts by Erica Crouch to three randomly selected commenters across the posts going up this week. Be sure to either include your email address or to Tweet at us @patchwork_press along with your goals so we can get in touch if you win!