Beautiful People // 2016 Writing Goals

It's time once again for Beautiful People! This month I get to talk about all my writerly goals. Writing my goals down always helps me stay focused (dedicated list-maker speaking), so this was a good way of planning my writing projects for the year. If you don't usually do Beautiful People, I suggest you join this month, even if you don't post it -- it really will help you.

1. What were your writing achievements last year?
To finish editing the first book in my trilogy, Beginning of the End, and start the sequel, Out of the Ashes. I did both (!!!) and even plotted out some other story ideas that I'm pretty excited about.

(victory dances are a normal part of my life)

2. Tell us about your top priority writing project for this year?
More than anything, I want to finish Out of the Ashes. Then I'll have to edit (yay). There are so many other story ideas that I want to work on too, so my goal is to attempt multitasking this year. It should be interesting. 

3. List 5 areas you'd like to work the hardest to improve this year.
Write more -- as in everyday.
Edit mercilessly instead of keeping pointless scenes (even if they are my favorite).
Create more diverse characters, so they don't all sound the same.
Show, don't tell.
Create twisting plots instead of predictable ones.

4. Are you participating in any writing challenges?
I'm not planning on it. My cousin is my writing buddy, so we kind of have unofficial competitions to see who can get more chapters done. But other than that, no.

5. What's your critique partner/beta reader situation like and do you have plans to expand this 
year? 
Right now, my cousin reads my book for me. One of my other friends is reading my book, too. I hope get more beta readers to get good variety of opinions. Which is super scary.

6. Do you have plans to read any writer-related books this year? Or are there specific books 
you want to read for research?
Most of my writing-related reading (say that 5 times fast) will all be research. I specifically want to read some psychology books for a story idea I'm really excited about. I wouldn't mind reading a book about getting published, either.

7. Pick one character you want to get to know better, and how are you going to achieve this?
Unfortunately, that would be my main character, Brynn. She's so confusing. One minute she wants to rip your heart out and then the next... She doesn't. Maybe she's just a hormonal teenager. I don't know. I'll probably do a lot of character interviews and then write out a bunch of different scenarios and see how she reacts to them .

8. Do you plan to edit or query, and what's your plan of attack?
I don't even know. I try not to think about it. Honestly, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. In my eyes, my writing will never be good enough to send out. But I want to start looking for an agent and then work from there. We'll see what happens.

9. Toni Morrison once said, "If's there's a book you want to read, but is hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." What are the books you want to see more of, and what "holes" do you think need filling in the literary world?
Oh goodness. I absolutely love reading historical fiction, specifically the Civil War and WWII. And the Revolutionary War. One of my favorite eras is the 1920s -- but I haven't seen too many novels set in that era. I would also like to see more psychological novels where a main character has a mental illness. There are so many books to write and so little time...

10. What do you hope to have achieved by the end of 2016?
I want to finish Out of the Ashes and hopefully finish another book that I've been plotting, The Scars We Choose (more on that project soon!!). I'd also like to get Beginning of the End polished to the point where I feel comfortable enough to send it out.

What are your writing goals for 2016? Just remember -- you got this!

Emily
xoxo