Evaluation of 2014 Goals

Last Year’s Goals and Dreams

 Get Published!

Entails:

•  Revise and Submit "Kinuyo and the Kitsune," "Second Chance," "Necklace," "Julia Kaiser," and 1 more to Ether
•  Self-Publish "Lucidity" on Amazon
•  Learn how to Format
•  Learn how to Design Covers
•  Create an Author Page
•  Write and/ or Revise Short Stories for Other Magazines/ Contests  

How’d I Do?

·         Published “Necklace,” “Second Chance,” and “Julia Kaiser” on Ether

·         Published “Immortal” on Daily Science Fiction

·         Finished all preparation to publish The Changelings

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

Finish the 2nd Draft of The Originals (At Least the Middle Section)
 (Est. Pages: 400-600)

Entails:

•  Read/ Critique Previous Draft 
•  Brainstorm Backstory/ Background 
•  Create Maps and Collect Images
•  Research (Climate, Armies, Revolution, Disease, Etc.)
•  Write 

How’d I Do?

·         Two Months of notes in January and February

·         200 pages in April Nano

·         200 pages in Nov Nano

·         Middle Section Complete; Ending yet to come

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

Finish Three Floating Coffins 
 (Est. Pages: 150)

Entails:

•  Start/ Finish "Isle of Darkness" Segment
•  Start/ Finish Ending
•  Revise Opening Chapters

How’d I Do?

·         Finished Isle of Darkness

·         Finished Ending (Longer than I thought)

·         Read/ Evaluate Draft

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

 Increase Income

Entails:

•  Explore New Job Options (Back to Drawing Board)
•  Career Assessment
•  Temp job in the summer?

How’d I Do?

·         Got hired by Placentia Yorba-Linda District

·         Fundraised through Pubslush

·         Sold cards

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

 Agents and Self-Publishing

Entails:

•  Research and Query 20-30 Agents
•  If Rejected, Make Plans for Publishers and/ or Self-Publishing
•  If Accepted... Figure out What to Do Next!
•  Keep Agent Info... Might Need it for Coffins!

How’d I Do?

·         Made a decision to Self-Publish in spring

·         Revised Changelings

·         Hired Editor

·         Hired Cover Artist

·         Read manuscript outloud/ final edit

·         Hired Mapmaker

·         Fundraised for ISBNs

·         Formatted

·         Ready to publish on Kindle January 2015

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

Write Manzanar Ghost Story
 (Est. Pages: 50-100)

Entails:

•  Gather Research/ Research Blog?
•  Brainstorm
•  Write the Story (Use a NaNoWriMo if Necessary)

How’d I Do?

·         Didn’t do a damn thing

Final Evaluation:

FAILURE

 Go to Literary Orange and Los Angeles Festival of Books

Entails:

•  Plan for the Day
•  Take Lots of Notes
•  Blog Afterward

How’d I Do?

·         Went to Literary Orange

·         Blogged extensively for Literary Orange

·         Didn’t go to Festival of Books, due to illness

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

 Get Company Critiqued

Entails:

•  Self-Critique
•  Find Online Critique Group
•  Find Other Readers
•  Decide What To Do With It

How’d I Do?

·         Joined OC Writers Inklings

·         Got all of Company critiqued

·         Self-Critique/ Evaluation

·         Went to Big Bear for setting info.

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

 Blog

Entails:

•  Weekly Update
•  Additional Content Twice a Month (Reviews, Dissecting Fantasy, Travel, Etc.)
•  Read/ Comment on Other Blogs 
•  Research Blog?

How’d I Do?

·         Weekly Updates

·         Content Updates

·         Started Blog for OC Writers

Final Evaluation:

SUCCESS

Dreams

• Practice Japanese (Very rarely)
•  Lose Weight (Lost some, but it didn’t stick)
• Get My Own Apartment and Dog (No)
• Compile Information on Bakumatsu into Blog (Ha—no)
• Write Spin-Off Story About Gryphons (Oddly, I got some of it done during Nov Nanowrimo)
•  Get Coffins to Agents (I didn’t even get it to Michelle)
• Make Money off My Writing (Yes—well, $76, but still)
• Learn How to Network, Market, Platform, and Sell (I don’t feel like I made much progress here)

Other Notable Events

·         My sister got married

·         My cousin got married

·         Aunt lost job

·         Three root canals

·         Began research on Counterfeit Diamond

·         Visited Oklahoma