Here we are again, the start of a new year! Well, maybe not the ‘start’ anymore, seeing how this post is going up near the end of January.
2025 is shaping up to be a questionable year, but it wouldn’t be fair to myself if I let current worries dictate how I carry out short – and long-term plans. With the initial setup done, I’m saying farewell to the month and preparing for a productive writing year.
First, a refresher of my 2024 goals and how they went–
One Blog Post Each Month: No
This was something I challenged myself to do over the past two years. I sort of completed it, with 11 of 12 posts written and three months that I didn’t post during. I had a playlist recap planned for December but couple of days into the month decided to not write. Not because I thought it was bad or anything of that nature, I just didn’t feel the need to post. And I think this more show off which months I prefer posting than a reluctance to post or a lack of ideas. I’ll be moving on to other challenges and reflecting more on my blogging habits.
Commission CIS Art: Yes!
I didn’t plan for the next drawn character to be Jay but when opportunity strike, you sign up for a commission slot. I love him. Naturally, I plan to commission more character art for CIS but I have other aspects of the story that I’m focusing on so another character commission isn’t the main focus like it was last year.
One Writing Date per Month: No
Not very often but a routine I’d like to continue. I went on two other dates that I didn’t write about. And even if I didn’t meet the monthly goal for the year, I did reap the benefits of being out of the apartment. Even when I wasn’t working on the project I’d brought along I was still writing consistently regardless of how much time I had to actually sit and write. Still a win in a way.
Play More Solo Journaling Games: No
Not at all. I thought about it on and off throughout the year, but ultimately, it didn’t align with my creative outlet. And that’s okay! Maybe some other time when the mood strikes.
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With these bases covered, I can talk about my 2025 goals. I spent a small part of December and most of January thinking of what I wanted to do this year. Goals that wouldn’t overwhelm me to the point of discouragement but still a challenge to work through that will result in better habits.
☆ Continue Writing Dates
Like last year, I’ll be shooting for once a month. I already have a few places lined up and can’t wait to commit time for myself and my writing.
☆ Write One (1) Short Story
The last short story I wrote was for the EnnoTana fanzine. There’s been hardly anything that short since. While I wasn’t a fan of how I ended it, I did love the process of creating a story within a limited word count. Ideas that I plan to be short have a habit of becoming bigger stories. I have plenty of long form projects in the works, but I’ve wanted to write more short works. One short story, from start to end. I don’t have anything in mind at the moment, but I have more than enough inspiration currently to draw from. Speaking of inspiration–
☆ Record Story Ideas
I’m sure, like most writers, there’s a lot of ideas bouncing around upstairs that rarely make it to paper, much less as something more than a passing daydream. There are so many ideas. I want to acknowledge those moments of fleeting creativity, even if I never do anything with them.
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Pretty underwhelming, huh? But it’s not like I’m trying to win a contest. There’s no one to account for except myself.
I was excited to be crawling fully out of my burnout that I mainly focused on writing projects in 2023. 2024 focused on my life as a creative, even if I didn’t realize it when I made those goals at the time. My overall goal now is to build a suitable habit that allows me to fall into a creative flow faster.
I’ll approach 2025 with the intention of further establishing my creative lifestyle and creative routine. A worthwhile goal, in my opinion.
.chel
Reading Rites 