Another year! I’m still looking for some months from 2024, but I seem to have misplaced them. If anyone had extra days, weeks, or months last year, they were probably mine. Sorry for the confusion. I tried to keep track of them, but I was a bit busy.

Last year I had some goals. Not too many, but some. Let’s see how I did.

• Host another Read Another Page Reading Challenge √ Did that.
• Run and participate in 3 KDWC camps √√√ Yep, we had new record numbers at camp, and I wrote a new record number of words in the March camp. 60k words!!!
• Work 3 elections since it is an election year √√√ Yes! And I worked at the County Clerk’s office for two weeks before the August election, and five weeks before the November election. Those were some crazy days!
• Finish and publish Secret Project √ I published The Graham Quartet and the House on Old Elm Road.
• Write Katie Wood (I really hope I can!) – No. I got an idea and a good start, but then it sort of stopped.
• Publish Heroes Without Capes √ I did. You can find it HERE.
• Write and publish another Christmas Collection story √ Yes, I did, and Running Away from Christmas is out.
• Finish and publish another novel or novella √ Nan’s Ice Cream Shop
• Write a story for a new Aunties’ Collection √ I actually did even though I wasn’t trying to do it at the time.

That’s eight things out of my list of nine goals. I think that’s pretty good. I wish I could have finished Katie Wood, but at least it’s started.

I had a goal to read 150 books this year, and I actually went over it. Many of the books were rereads this year, but that’s okay, I enjoyed them. I did manage to read 100 new to me books though. You can take a look at my Year in Books.

Now on to the writing front!

My goal was to write 20k words a month in 2024. It wasn’t long before I realized that 20k wasn’t going to work some months, so changed up my goal to an average of 20k a month which equals 240,000 words in the year.

Total words written: 257,807
That’s 17,807 words more than I was aiming more! Almost a month’s worth of extra words.

A few more tidbits about my writing:

• I have never written that much in December since I started keeping track of my word count back in 2015!
• 60k is more than I ever dreamed I’d be able to write in a month.
• I have multiple stories started as usual but for the last 3.5 months I’ve only worked on one story!
• In spite of writing so many words I only published three books in 2024.

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What goals or plans do I have for 2025?

• Finish and publish The Red Heart Cafe (If it will ever end!)
• Finish and publish Katie Wood
• Publish something else
• Start getting the Woodbreak series on audio (Anyone know of a good reader you think would fit that series?)
• Walk the Spring 100 with my sister and my best friends again
• Write and publish a new Christmas Collection
• Run and participate in 3 King’s Daughters’ Writing Camps
• Get enough followers and interaction on Instagram to get into a certain program
• Send out a more regular Newsletter
• Teach writing classes
• Create and publish a new KDWC Journal

Wild Dreams that sound like fun but I don’t think will happen. (A girl can always dream, right?)

• Finish and publish either Monday’s Mystery, Selkirk, Kelsey, or Baby Hope
• Get 50 reviews on 10 of my books. That’s 50 reviews each!
• Win some award for a cover or a book or a story
• Get 1,000 followers on Instagram
• Take a trip to Canada (This is a might happen dream!)

And so, there we go. More goals, more plans, more projects. Things completed, and things yet to do. Hopes and dreams, big and small, but a Heavenly Father Who already knows and Who will lead me this new year!

What are some of your goals or plans for 2025? Do you have any big dreams that you aren’t sure how you would reach? I’d love to know!