Here we are, already at the end of January. Where did the time go? Luckily, I actually accomplished a lot of the things I outlined in my monthly goals so I am thrilled to see what February holds. I’ll be uploading February’s goals tomorrow as a bit of an accountability incentive for myself. Let's dive into what I accomplished in January.
1. Finalise Book 2 Pre-writing
Right at the beginning of the month I thought I'd give myself a bit of an easy goal to ease into the year. Mostly outlined in 2022, I managed to put the final touches and fine-tune the chapter-by-chapter roadmap for Corruption of Avalon, book two in my debut trilogy. I'm really excited to see this story come to life when I begin writing.
2. Finish First Draft Book 1
For those of you who follow my socials, you will have seen... It finally happened. Two and a half months, 264 pages and 80’123 words later and Forgotten Children of Avalon (book one) finally has a completed first draft. I started on November 1st for NaNoWriMo and it was a bit of a surreal experience to type those enchanting words “THE END” at the bottom of my document. I’m still struggling to comprehend how after half a decade of letting my skills and knowledge deteriorate, I still somehow managed to complete a manuscript in this timeframe (although it feels like a lifetime that I've been working on the story). I’m now giving myself some distance until March before absorbing myself into my first round of editing.
3. Prepare to start book 2 first draft
While I take some time away from book one, tomorrow brings the beginning of my writing journey for book two. While not thrilled to be starting with 0 words after my recent accomplishment with book one, I’m excited to see how the story blooms from a simple outline into fully formed scenes and narrative. First drafts just may be my least favourite part of writing.
4. Read more books
My reading goal for this year, while ambitious, is 100 books. I have to read, give or take, two books a week to make this achievable. In past years I’ve managed to crack the mid 90s, so I’m determined to finally make triple digits. For January I managed to finish 8 books, some of which have been featured in my book recommendations here on the blog. January’s top read would have to be Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton, Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy. You can find that recommendation here on the blog, in case you need any more convincing to pick up a copy.
5. Meet new writers/readers
My wish to engage with and meet some of my fellow writers and readers has been difficult. While I’ve gained some followers on various platforms and engaged with similar people there, I’ve struggled to get engagement on my own content. My presence being relatively new in these spaces and the community has been hard to overcome and I have to admit I’m feeling a little discouraged. Hopefully given some time and dedication I can turn this around in the near future and integrate into the writing communities on these platforms to better communicate. My links are here on the website or you can search @katsalibawrites on Twitter and Instagram, or Kat Saliba Author on Facebook to find me.
Remember to check back in tomorrow to see what I have planned for February, and don’t forget to check out my other posts. Subscribe to the blog to get notified when a new post is available for you to read.
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