Well. That was certainly… a year, huh?

Instead of thinking about all the crummy things that happened over the course of the last year, I like to do an annual rundown of my personal highlights and go through my goals for the following year to help myself stay accountable.

(My Top 20 Things of 2020 article will come later this month.)

2020 Highlights

I completed writing and editing my first historical fiction novel. Finally.

I wrote and published Notion for Beginners.

I finished production on the Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire audiobook and began production on the Molly Miranda: Thick as Thieves audiobook with the delightful Alison Stinnett. More info on this soon! Audible is apparently way behind on processing submissions but I will let you know when that’s available.

I read more than 30 books.

I won an award for book interior layout for a children’s book.

When the pandemic began, I raised money to get coffee delivered to the lab techs at my city’s local hospital. When there was a flood of new tests being done in early December, I organized a second fundraiser and coffee delivery.

I visited the floating boardwalk at Greenwich PEI National Park.

I paid off my husband’s student loan, paid off my provincial student loan, and started a retirement fund.

I got into genealogy and discovered some cool stuff about my family.

I have realized that I am most at peace when I halve my free time: one fun thing and one “work” (writing, marketing, etc.) helps keep me happiest. That fun thing can be reading a good book, watching Netflix or working on a painting or crafts. I learned that these things are extremely important to me and I need to make time for them. I know a lot of writers do nothing but write but I just don’t think that works for me and I’m content with that.

Goals for 2021

PUBLISHING GOAL
Get a literary agent or self-publish my historical fiction novel.

WRITING GOAL
Complete an extremely detailed outline of my next historical fiction novel and all related research.

READING GOAL
35 books

CREATIVE GOAL
Finish the large painting that has been sitting in my office partially competed for ages.

PERSONAL GOAL
Get driver’s license.

FINANCIAL GOAL
Finish paying off my student loan by July 1, 2021.

(I overdid it horrendously at the end of 2019 when it came to making my goals for this year. I chose 20 goals for 2020—for fun—and a lot of those goals included “20” as part of the goal. Example: try 20 new recipes. I really don’t think I would have done that if I had known what a bonkers year 2020 would end up being. Trying this simpler format for picking goals. I would have added a Social Goal but it’s hard to say when enough people will be vaccinated to make that type of goal.)