My writing goals for the second half of 2020

In January, I set my writing goals for 2020. Here they are:

1. Submit a polished draft of Wild West paranormal romance novel to my editors
2. Publish my first short story collection
3. Create and publish a newsletter, build its followers
4. Publish on my blog on a more consistent basis
5. Appear at two conventions as a featured author
6. Revamp website with new design, logo and updated content

Considering that the year 2020 is still young(ish) and everything else that has happened in the last few months, I didn’t meet all of my goals yet. However, I was able to cross one off my list: publish an author newsletter. For a long time I hesitated about releasing a newsletter because I wondered, “What is so interesting about my life that I can portray as ‘news’?” Then, recalling that my life is a regular type of one (as it is with most of the humankind), I decided to write about whatever, run it in the newsletter, and see how it goes.

I launched my newsletter since this past January and have published once a month with the exception of April. I didn’t do so not because I was caught up in anything else or because I was sick or had fallen on hard times, but because I needed time to process the pandemic’s impact on the world. Just because I have a blog and a social media, doesn’t mean I have to post every one of my private thoughts online.

As for the rest of my writing goals for 2020, here is an update on where I stand:

Submit a polished draft of a Wild West paranormal romance novel to my editors: Began writing about 500 words a day for this novella. I’m due to submit my finished and revised manuscript this December.

Publish my first short story collection: Read my most recent update on that.

Publish on my blog on a more consistent basis: I just resumed writing and publishing on my blog after intermittent periods of inactivity.

Appear at two conventions as a featured author: I plan to register as a featured author at one convention when signup opens later this summer. I’m still reviewing which other event I can appear (even if it’s virtual).

Revamp website with new design, logo and updated content: I’m currently searching for freelancers for this job. If you can recommend one, please let me know.

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Teresa Edmond-Sargeant is a journalist and author living in Orlando, Fla. Visit her Amazon author page to check out her titles.