Writing Goals Wrap Up 2025 and Goals for 2026

It’s the end of the year and here’s the wrap up for all my writing in 2025:

1) I finished the 1^st and 2^nd drafts of my book. I got to work this year and, in March, I finished the first draft. This past Sunday, December 28, I finished the second draft. There were some big changes that happened in between these two drafts, but I’m happy with the outcome. I’m going to let the draft sit for a couple of weeks while I work on some other writing, then I will start the third draft and send it to my critique group. So exciting! (And, yes, a bit scary. So far I am the only person who had read this book.)

2) Revised two short stories. At the start of 2025, I had two stories I wanted to revise. Not only did I complete this by June, but I also wrote two more short stories and one essay. Today, I have another story to finish and one more idea. So by the first weekend of January, I will have two more short stories. This is by far the most productive I have been in a long time and I’m loving it.

3) Blog Posts/Newsletter. There were definitely months when I slacked on this goal. Time got away from me, or I just needed a break. Still, I think I posted every month, so I’ll take it.

4) Read 24 books this year. Didn’t hit this goal. I read 15 and that is still better that the 4 I read in 2024. I’ll take it.

Overall, I’m happy with how my 2025 progressed. I got plenty done and still felt like I had some kind of life. It wasn’t perfect, but I don’t strive for perfection. I strive for consistency.

Goals for 2026.

The upcoming year’s goals will be pretty simple.

1) Work on book and (hopefully) begin to submit by the end of the year. This is the most pressing goal and I want to give my full attention to it. I want some feedback before I start submitting. I’m aiming to start over the summer.

2)Put out a short story collection. This was a bonus goal for 2025, but the work of putting out a collection was too much on top of everything else. In 2026, I’d like to give this some attention. I want to try a small or mid-size press first. If it doesn’t find a home with a publisher, I might just self-pub. Not sure yet, but I’m just starting to get this project together.

3) Keep up the posting for social media (Blog, Substack, YouTube, Instagram). I will continue to try and post consistently. I’m learning that there is a lot of planning that happens. When I’m on top of things and plan ahead, the posting is easy. But when I forget to plan, well, time get away from me. Got to get better at the planning.

4) Reading challenge for 2026. This year, I want to re-read 10 books I read before the age of 25. I’m curious how I will react to them decades later. I also want to read 3 books I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I’ll do a separate post on this (as well as all the books I read in 2025) in early January.

Other than these I don’t really have any other writing goals. I do have a few personal goals that I will be working on when I’m not writing. I would like to do more traveling, get my office together, and work on my health.

2025 was a hard year for a lot of people and I hope that if you had a crappy 2025, that 2026 is so much better for you. I’m doing my best to stay sane and safe. Writing helps. A supportive family helps. Small things that bring comfort help. That’s what I learned this year.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has an amazing 2026.