New Challenges for 2022 - or...I did a Thing (and now I'm kinda scared)...

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So, I did a thing. I would say it was a thing I just woke up and decided to do one day, but I've been thinking about doing this thing for YEARS (at least three)...and, today, I screwed up my courage, looked my fear of failure in the eye, and did. the. thing.

This might not seem to astounding to some of you, but for those of you who know me, you know I have all the hallmarks of a neurodivergency that runs for the hills if you break its routine or show it something new. Some of you might even know that I'm more comfortable with failure than I am with success, given I'm used to the first and still getting used to the second. (There's a reason I've circled this thing for several years - beyond budget - and that is I wanted to be sure I had a good chance of completing the challenge.)

If I'm honest, I'm not absolutely sure I really can do it, but it fits into what I want to do this year, and gives me some extra incentive to actually 'get with the doing', instead of tossing in the towel on 'more sensible' grounds. I have something I want to achieve, and I *think* these challenges will help me do it.

Personal goal?

  • To publish 1-2 new titles a month for the next 12 months. They're all in the schedule, but I don't know if I can do it. (No, seriously, given my track record for the last 4-5 years? I really don't know if I can.)
  • To finish writing or compile 24 new titles over the next 12 months. (See comment above.)

'Official' challenge goals?

  • To publish a book a month for the next 12 months, within certain parameters;
  • To write a novel every two months and turn it in.

 So, if I hit my personal goals, I should hit the official challenge goals. The sticker? I haven't hit my personal goals for the last three years, let along the last twelve months, so I don't know what makes me think I'll hit them this time.

If I succeed personally, I'll have 12-24 new or 2nd Edition titles out. (Those 2nd Edition titles won't count toward the novel writing or publishing challenges, even though I'm adding a substantial amount of words to them - but their omnibuses will count toward the publishing challenge.) Also, I will have written 6 novels from scratch, rewritten or completed another 5 novels, completed, compiled and expanded 10 collections, and compiled 3 novel omnibuses.

And, looking at that, I *really* don't know if I'll make it.

If I only succeed officially, then I will still have written 6 novels from scratch and published 12 titles...and I'd be happy with that, too.

To make it harder, I'll still be ghost-writing, alongside these (although I've given myself a fortnight 'off'), which means that alongside my novels for the challenge, I'll be writing 8-10 full-length (100k+) novels for someone else. Why? Because I'm still building my back-list and I need to cover the rent and new covers, somehow :-)

And if I fail?

If I fail on either, I'll still have some of my books completed and published, and even if I fail officially, I'll have four excellent writing courses I can still complete, from a master writer I've admired for quite some time.

And what are these official challenges?

I'm not ready to say, today. They're still new and oh so very scary.

What's the current project for at least one of the challenges? That I do know...and, now, so do you.

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