Top Ten Bookish Promises for 2024
Complete my Goodreads Challenge.
This is the one and only challenge I complete each year. I am off to a good start, with four books read, and only one of them is a picture book. I'm shooting for 75 books this year, which is five more than I read in 2023. The goal will increase if I hit it before December 31.
Read 15 books from my TBR Pile.
That is five more than I read from my TBR Pile in 2023. Two of the four books I've already read are from my TBR Pile, so I'm feeling good about this goal. I know I'll want to read through the remaining books in the Love Comes Softly series this year.
Read 8 leadership books from my TBR Pile.
Though I read 10 leadership books in 2024, I can't say nonfiction has commanded most of my attention the last few years. Currently, I have 12 non-fiction titles on Audible; most of them personal growth books. Last week, I downloaded John Maxwell's Good Leaders Ask Great Questions and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: 25th Anniversary.
Read one book in a genre I don't usually read.
This is an annual promise, because I like to expand my horizons beyond beloved genres you'll find here. Usually that means something in the fantasy or science fiction realm. We will see what 2024 brings.
Weed out my Goodreads and Kindle freebie "Want to Read" lists.
I started this in December. Though this is a low priority, a more manageable list of each would make my reading life easier.
Finish editing my NaNoWriMo project.
I am on the third round of edits since completing this project in November. After this, I will give it a final readthrough to pick up punctuation errors. Then I will be ready to draft a query letter.
Plan out the next steps in my writing career.
This is a tough one. I'm conflicted about the direction I wish to go. I've had success as a children's author. Not sell a 100,000 books success, but I'm happy with what I've accomplished. However, writing Home for the Heart in November made me so happy. Is it time for me to consider a new path? Should I switch to writing for adults? Would contemporary romance be a genre that will continue to thrill me for years to come? Never mind the rebranding and substantial marketing effort this would involve.
Re-organize my works in progress.
If I re-organize my WIPs, this could help me decide if I change directions with my writing. My notebooks are filled with dozens of neat ideas for children's books. Would reconsidering them spark more inspiration?
Submit one short story.
This is a carryover from 2023. I had one short story published in 2022. Getting paid for your work is motivating. I will revisit that online magazine first. If I don't feel I have anything to offer them, I will browse through my Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market book.
Participate in NaNoWriMo.
Now that I have a good process, if I come up with a solid idea, I will tackle NaNoWriMo again. It wasn't as intimidating as I remembered it to be.
That's it for my list. What are you hoping to accomplish in 2024? Do we share any of the same goals?
