Erin Lodes

I accomplished a lot in 2018. I got a new very adult and very good job that I enjoy most days. I made a significant dent in my student loans. I made it an entire year as a married person. I found things to do that help my mental health and I did them. I spent time with friends and family.

And I redrafted (mostly from scratch) what I hope will be my debut novel, and then I fucking revised the thing within an inch of its life, finished it, and started sending it out. In order to do that, I started and maintained a pretty strict writing routine, which I plan to continue throughout 2019.

I took a break from the 22nd to the 1st, during which time I visited my in-laws and friends in Ireland, thus far my favorite place on the planet. You can check out pictures on my Instagram @erinprendy.

In addition to drinking a lot of Guinness, hiking, and laughing, I thought a lot about what my goals for 2019 would be. Some are simple, variations on goals I make nearly every year. Drink a little less, exercise a little more. Watch less TV, read more books. Do more yoga. Go hiking more often. Learn to cook new things. Eat healthier. Pay off my student loans.

Some goals are specific, things that fell by the wayside while I was spending all my spare time finishing my novel. Like making a dentist appointment and cleaning my freaking office because you can’t see the top of my desk.

Some goals are harder. Like being kinder to myself.

And then there are my writing goals. These are hard too. Because I’d like to make a goal out of landing an agent and having a publisher buy my novel. But, for the most part, that is out of my control. So I can’t use that. I can’t dwell on that because it will drive me crazy. Case in point I had a dream last night that my younger brother — who has never finished a novel — sold a novel to a publishing house.

So, instead, my writing goals are designed to keep me moving forward. I’ll keep sending out queries but that won’t be my focus (as much as I can help it anyway). And I’ll show up at my keyboard every weekday at five in the morning and every lunch hour at noon and also some time on the weekends. I’ll keep this blog on track. Decide which new idea to tackle for my next novel. Finish outlining, then drafting, then revising my next novel.

Standard goals really. Just have to do them now. Let’s get to it people.

What are your goals for 2019?