Shooting My Shot: Renewed 2025 Goals

There's still time to make things happen this year. Right?

Jul 10, 2025

👩🏼 / OMG on January 23, I actually posted “I’m manifesting a publishing deal by year-end.” It’s now JULY, and I’ve spent a collective three hours copying and pasting the book from Word into Scrivener. That’s it. THREE HOURS. IN SIX MONTHS. COPY AND PASTING. <frustration>
😇 / Girl, you just had a baby in December! You’re figuring out motherhood. Show yourself some grace. You’re doing great!
😈 / Wow, you’re a failure. You should have finished the book’s edit by now and should be working on your next manuscript. And when’s the last time you posted about Plot Twists on Instagram? It’s not that hard to be consistent. Come on.
👩🏼 / When it comes to writing, I feel like I’m wading through quicksand. I keep trying to get to it, but there are so many things in the way. Like feeding myself. Periodically catching up on sleep. Nursing or pumping every three hours during the day. And my brain’s just now starting to come back from baby brain. Dang it, I used the word brain twice in that sentence…
😇 / You just need to rest! There’s plenty of time. And you’re a single mom!
😈 / Excuses, excuses. The most successful leaders have dialed-in morning routines starting at 4AM. If you consider parenting a job, then other entrepreneurs built their businesses by working second shifts after their 9-to-5. You should do the same. You don’t even have a traditional job right now! You should work harder. Also, time to look into botox, babe.
👩🏼 / Both of you need to shut up. I can figure this out. My dreams are possible. I chose this path. I’m not afraid to work hard! I just need a little space / time / childcare / energy / inspiration / willpower / discipline / divine intervention.

Yo!

Here’s what up. I believe anything is possible, particularly if you’re willing to work for it, if you’re willing to take the risks necessary. The thing is, there’s just as much truth as bullshit to the conversation above.

I’m not where I want to be.* Time to change that.

As I was drafting this, I was going to update you on the progress made on the four projects on my 2025 Slate of Writing Projects, shared at the beginning of the year.

We’re now halfway through the year, and in many ways, I’ve not done much. Now, I know I tend to be overly optimistic with goals and what’s possible in a given amount of time (this is true of Enneagram 7s - so convicting). But I’m not going to dwell and whine on the lack of progress.

More than simply listing my projects, I’m going to enumerate specific goals and give them deadlines. Then it’s up to me to figure out how to accomplish them. It doesn’t matter if our family isn’t sleeping well or if the house hunt picks up pace (*stops to check Zillow*) or the laundry explodes or I book a random trip in September 👀.

My big fear is that I’m going to waste this opportunity to build a career as an author. This is my big-swing time. So let’s swing big.

*Regarding my writing goals. Otherwise, I’m living my dream. I can be both at once.

Picture from February. Celine’s bigger now. We do very occasionally work together like this though.

Renewed 2025 Writing Goals

based on my priority projects shared earlier this year

Priority #1 / Complete the final edit of Interlude, and query agents.
- GOAL / Interlude edited by the end of August.
  - Author
    V.K. Dixon
    shares her word count on Instagram at the end of her nightly writing sprints. I’d love to do something similar, but I’m unsure how to do that with editing. Percentage completed? Editing is just not a linear process. But some kind of progress marker would be super motivating for me.
- GOAL / Researched, hooky agent queries go out early October.
- If this is the priority project, treat it as such!!
Priority #2 / Continue publishing Plot Twists.
- This is the project I’m doing well on. To fine-tune: I’d like to get further ahead on posts so I’m not scrambling and upending planned time for other projects.
Priority #3 / Increase subscribers to Plot Twists and followers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
- GOAL / 5,000 subscribers or followers on EACH platform by year’s end. Plot Twists subscribers being of the highest priority.
  - For posterity, here’s where I am on each today:
    - Plot Twists / 1,087 subscribers
    - Instagram / 1,326 followers
    - Facebook / 1,476 followers
    - TikTok / 55 followers (I’m testing if I can build an audience from scratch)
- I thought about assigning distinct targets for each platform, but since I’m completely making up the numbers, we’re just going to make them all the same.
- Observation: Over the last year, I’ve attempted being a Bookstagram / Booktokker. That’s a full-time job! And I don’t read enough to provide value there. Turns out, that’s not where I’m called. I’m an author working to get published, and my content can reflect that.
- You can help with this goal! Share about Plot Twists with your reader friends. Follow me on other platforms. Thank you in advance.
Priority #4 / Write the next novel. Once Interlude is done, there’s no time to waste; it’s onto the next!
- I will show myself some grace… Let’s call this a stretch goal and reevaluate in October.

Weird. I got to the bottom of this list, and I thought to myself: oh, is that it? Who do you think that was piping up? 👩🏼, 😇 or 😈?

—

I share this for a few reasons.

To force myself to work through and name these goals.
For accountability through transparency. Some encouraging peer pressure is welcome.
Hopefully, to inspire or galvanize you. Where are you on your goals/vision for the year?
1. Not where you want to be? You’re not alone - there’s still time to make progress. To quote my business coach, what’s the next right step?
2. Ahead of schedule? Awesome! Proud of you. Don’t stop now, keep going!

—

Shout-out to

Caroline Lunne

whose recent post gave me some clarity on my own mental state and perspective on my progress. In her brief essay Spinning My Wheels, she said, “Maybe we’re not as burnt out as we think. Maybe we’re just not working.”

I’m ready to work. My dreams are possible. I want to show my baby girl what I’m capable of.

Parting Shot

sharing some of my photography from over the years

The setting for last week’s Summer Squall in the Turks & Caicos, part of our Summer Getaways series. Next week, we’re going to Destin, FL!

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