2020 Reading and Writing Goals

Now that it's a new year, that means new reading and writing goals! I didn't do as much as I wanted to in 2019, but I'm going to make up for it in 2020.

In 2019 I read 27 books, which was my personal goal. So yay for that!

For 2020, I'd like to read 35 books. Why 35? Well, I wanted to up my goal by a smidgen but didn't want to add too much more. So I picked the age I'll be turning in the summer. LOL. I figure that's a reasonable and achievable goal.

Here are a few of the books I really want to read this year and why:

Pucked by Helena Hunting (bought this for my Nook AGES ago, read one chapter and forgot to finish)

The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen (really love her books, been anxiously waiting to read this one in particular)

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert (I've read several books by Katee and this is the first in her wicked villains series and I'm so excited for it)

Arrogant Master by Winter Renshaw (I absolutely loved Arrogant Bastard and this is the sequel I bought and never read)

His Banana by Penelope Bloom (I keep seeing the covers in this series and simply need to read one of them)

Mr. Perfect by JA Huss (snagged the whole series and haven't had the chance to start it even though I really want to)

I Temporarily Do by Ellie Cahill (came across this when looking for ebook deals and was very intrigued by the premise)

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas (this one had rave reviews and I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read it)

In 2019 I wrote two novellas. I definitely wanted to write more than that, and I started a few other stories along the way which I never finished. But I'm still pleased with getting those novellas written.

For 2020, I'd like to increase my word counts so that I can get more stories completed. One of the stories I started last year was an emotional full-length that needs to have the plot reworked, so I'd like to get to that one. Plus, one of the novellas from last year is part of a trilogy. I'd like to finish writing the second novella (about 1/2 finished) and the third, too. Otherwise, I'm not sure what else I'll be working on, but I want to get lots of writing in! Also, I need to revise the stories from 2019 still.

There you have it! My short list of 2020 goals. It may not seem like much, but I'm feeling pretty good about them.

What are your reading and writing goals for the new year?

Sound off in the comments!

Review: Paper Hearts Vol 3: Some Marketing Advice by Beth Revis

Title: Paper Hearts Vol 3: Some Marketing Advice
Author: Beth Revis
Published: December 31st 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Writing Reference
Buy: Amazon ~*~ B&N
Add to your Goodreads shelf

Help readers discover your work.

Once your book is out there, you realize that the most difficult thing about publishing is actually getting read. For the novice author looking to find actionable methods of gaining exposure, this volume will provide a foundation for marketing that will help kickstart any writing career.

Practical Advice Meets Real Experience

After the book is published, your job as a writer isn’t done. Paper Hearts will help you:

-Find Balance between Art and Business

-Develop an Online Presence

-Examine and Exploit the Way People Buy Books

-Set Up Basic Tools for Communication

-Discuss Best Practices to Get Reviews

-Analyze What’s Worth Your Time & Money

-Develop Live and Online Book Tours & Events

-Host Live Events, Even if You’re an Introvert

…And much more!

BONUS! Includes a list of the most common social media outlets and the best practices for authors to use them and reach readers.

My Thoughts:

I tried to keep myself away from NetGalley to remove the temptation to request books because I didn't think I'd be able to get to them. But one day while I was on Twitter somebody RT'ed a link to this book being available on there and I checked it out. As an indie author, marketing advice is extremely appreciated and necessary to keep your book going. So I decided to request and I'm glad I did.

There's loads of tips and tricks for authors in this book. A decent number of them I was aware of, but there were some new-to-me ideas that I can put to use in the future. Even the stuff I already knew was a nice reminder. I would highly (and I mean HIGHLY) recommend this book for new authors, indie or traditional, because there's so much to learn and apply to get the most out of your marketing techniques. This is the third book in the Paper Hearts series by Beth Revis. I'm very appreciative of the knowledge I've taken in from this and hope to get the chance to read the first two books to learn more.

My Rating:

Update Thursday #91

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading and writing. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

Reading...

Books I Finished:

This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath (-Goodreads-)
Impossible by Komal Lewis (-Goodreads-)

 964 of 964 E.E. Cummings poems finished (6 this week).

Books I'm reading:

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (-Goodreads-)

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (-Goodreads-)
Desire by Kailin Gow (-Goodreads-)
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (-Goodreads-)

Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 47,301 ~

~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~

~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~
~ Under Enchanted Skies ~ 1,550/plotting ~
~ Beyond The Horizon ~ plotting ~
~ So I Thought ~ plotting ~
~ Hold Your Breath ~ plotting ~

The latest =  That's right. 3404 words this last week. It seems impressive, doesn't it? Well, it isn't really. Lol. Most of it was copy/pasting from the original scenes I wrote with slight tweaking to match up with what I have been writing. BUT IT SURE FEELS GOOD. I will possibly hit 50,000 by the end of 2012 (*crosses fingers*). I was hoping to have the revisions/rewrites done by then, but I am going to be content with what I have and keep pressing on! It's so nice to get to this part of my story though. This part is the most important part and what I've been working toward all year. I can't wait to finish and share it with you!

Until next time!

Update Thursday #90

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading and writing. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

Reading...

Books I Finished:

Among The Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund (-Goodreads-)
All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen (-Goodreads-)

Books I'm reading:

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (-Goodreads-)

Impossible by Komal Lewis (-Goodreads-)
Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (-Goodreads-)

958 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (4 this week)

Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 43,897 ~

~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~

~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~
~ Under Enchanted Skies ~ 1,550/plotting ~
~ Beyond The Horizon ~ plotting ~
~ So I Thought ~ plotting ~
~ Hold Your Breath ~ plotting ~

The latest = 845 words. Not bad considering my week at work! By tomorrow night, I'll have worked 10 extra hours this week. *passes out thinking about it* But I'm actually doing okay, I mean, I'm functioning okay. Sure, I keep getting into this slap happy phase when I instant message my friend Rebecca every day, but it provides for some much needed entertainment for the both of us. Once the weekend hits, I'll be able to catch up on all sorts of everything--emails and posts and reading. I'm actually almost finished with E.E. Cummings, much sooner than expected... I think I majorly miscalculated the number of poems--I went by the table of contents and I think I double counted a couple small sections that had a title, then numbers below them, when I should have just counted the numbers (if that makes sense...). In any case, things are looking up!

I actually wrote out a couple of blog posts I've been sitting on last night after seeing THIS PIN on Pinterest. In case you don't want to click on it, it says, "A year from now you will wish you had started today." It really, REALLY got me to thinking last night and I almost feel like I was the jump-start I needed to make some changes in my thinking and my actions. I can't wait to get those posts scheduled. I hope they can be inspiring to my fellow writers! <3

Until next time!

Update Thursday #89

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading and writing. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

Reading...

Books I Finished:

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare (-Goodreads-)

Books I'm reading:

 The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (-Goodreads-)
All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen (-Goodreads-)

Impossible by Komal Lewis (-Goodreads-)
Among The Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund (-Goodreads-)

954 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (25 this week)

Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 43,052 ~

~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~

~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~
~ Under Enchanted Skies ~ 1,550/plotting ~
~ Beyond The Horizon ~ plotting ~
~ So I Thought ~ plotting ~
~ Hold Your Breath ~ plotting ~

The latest = Another 1000 words down, so many more to go... it's like, the never ending story. Not really. My mind is just everywhere lately. I can't wait for 2013 to get here. I need a change. Maybe I just need the weekend to get here. I haven't had the greatest week so far. I mean, some of it is good, but some of it makes me want to rip my hair out. But, I'm okay, don't worry about me. I'll talk more of it Sunday. Maybe things will chill out by then. Anyhow... the next scene in my novel shouldn't be too hard. I just need a moment to sit down and write it is all.

Until next time!

Update Thursday #88

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading and writing. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

Reading...

Books I Finished:

~Nothing~

Books I'm reading:

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare (-Goodreads-)
Among The Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund (-Goodreads-)
All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen (-Goodreads-)

929 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (6 this week)

Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 41,983 ~

~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~

~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~
~ Under Enchanted Skies ~ 1,550/plotting ~
~ Beyond The Horizon ~ plotting ~
~ So I Thought ~ plotting ~
~ Hold Your Breath ~ plotting ~

The latest = Still low on progress, but I may have reached an epiphany on how to make the whole thing flow better. I quickly went through what I've written thus far and added in the notes I need to fix it when I finish. I'm hoping this will help motivate me to sit down and write more often so I can get finished soon (crossing fingers for end of 2012).

I keep coming up with more scenes for my new story idea. That thing is a gold mine. I can't wait to focus on that one. And share the details with you.

And I wrote a note in my phone at 1:42 a.m. Wednesday that had me rolling for about ten minutes straight. I would like to share it with you, but I'm thinking about putting it in a story someday. When I do, I'll let you know which line it is.

Until next time!