Every year I set goals for myself. Typically, I have ideas in January, but I add and edit my goals as the year goes on. They are less of a list, and more of a nonverbal agreement I have with myself. The “new” part of new year never really held much weight for me. I like to use the date more to reflect on the previous year than mark it as a beginning. Why would I want to start at the beginning? No thank you, I’ll stay right where I am on this hike of life! (But I can see how that mindset can be beneficial to some!)

So, I am taking this moment to consider what I got done this year in my writing, and the things I want to keep working on.

During 2025, I set out to:

• Find beta readers for Daughter of the Blade (done!)
• Collect all critiques by January 2026 (not done, but a bit out of my control)
• Finish revisions for book two, Shadows of Dragons (done!)

In 2026, I plan on continuing and would like to add some “fun” into my writing life again. I love my Dreamer’s Blade series, but I am getting a bit fatigued with it lately. There’s only so many times I can read about Parisia mourning, Dekca sulking, and Trios’s confusion. I think I might try blogging more often. It is sort of nice to just speak into the void and see who hears it, and even when it falls into silence, there is always the benefit of getting it out of your head and onto paper.

I also had some surprise ideas for revisions at the end of this year, but it would mean a LOT of changes to all three books, and I am trying to decide if that will truly be the best of ideas. You know how it goes; you fix one thing, and it has a lovely butterfly effect that essentially ruins all the rest of your work. I’ve had a missing piece for some time now. And then, bam, the obvious solution popped into my head after I’d done SO much work on books one and two. Thank goodness I haven’t jumped fully into the mess that is book three… I really need to stop having ideas.

Well, life calls. If you are reading this, thank you. I hope you have an amazing year, and a big thank you to all who step up to support rescues, Pen and Paw, and the arts!

-Holly