2023 in review. What’s next?

As a writer, I spend a lot of time inside my own mind. Self-doubt is a constant companion, and sometimes it even takes the steering wheel out of my hands and drives us right off a cliff. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my dreams of being a full-time author, and I will keep thinking of all the things I should be doing. It’s easy to forget all the things I’ve already achieved.

At the end of a year, I like to look back and see just how far I’ve gotten. I can proudly say I did a ton of writing and revising in 2023!

1. I completed Goddess of Light (Book 3 in my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy) and published both the ebook and paperback in April.
2. Also in April, I started writing Book 1 of a new trilogy set in the same world.
3. By the end of July, I had finished the first draft of Book 1 at about 60k words.
4. From August to October, I revised Book 1 into a second draft that I then send off to my writers’ group for feedback.
5. In November, I brainstormed some other ideas before ultimately deciding to start with Book 2 while I waited for my feedback.
6. I started Book 2 in early December and now I’m already more than 20k words into the first draft.

I wish I could say that I’ve also gotten better at marketing my books or that I’ve made some new writer friends. I’m still struggling with both. Marketing is hard, and some authors even believe that it’s a waste of money unless you’ve got a sizeable list of published titles. And as for making new writer friends? I’ve always been an introvert, and ever since moving to a smaller city, I haven’t been able to take that first step toward meeting new people who share the same passion. It doesn’t help that I write in a different language than the one that’s spoken in my country.

Anyway, I’ve decided to keep my marketing efforts low while I focus on writing more stories. And I’ve got quite a few things planned for 2024!

1. I want to finish Book 1 of my trilogy (i.e. revise again and hire an editor to help with the rest) and hopefully publish it as well.
2. I want to finish writing Book 2, revise it and send it off for feedback.
3. I want to write the first draft of Book 3.

While I was writing (and publishing) my Crown of Tír na nÓg series, I took it one book at a time. With this series, I’m taking a different approach and so far I enjoy working on two books at once. I’ll let you know next year how it went!

Until then: happy reading!