Last week I shared my writing resolutions from 2012… the year I first started taking my writing journey seriously. This week I’ll be sharing my current goals, resolutions, ambitions, hopes and dreams. It sounds like a lot to cover in a single post, but I promise to be efficient!

I’ll start by saying, that I am still the starry-eyed dreamer that I started out… but now, I know a few things. And mostly what I know is that in order to reach your achieve your dreams, you really just need to put in the work. For some people, resolutions help them with the work. Creating habits and routines go a long way in creating successful results… but ten years into the game, I’ve got those strategies down to a science. (A paper planner to organize the chaos, a work environment conducive to productivity, and a network of friends and colleagues to pick me up, help me out and cheer me on.) What I think I need to be successful in the year ahead is just a really good to-do list and the time and energy to make it happen. So I’ll start there.

This is what I want to get done in 2022.

1. Rebrand and Relaunch The Orphan Train Riders by giving the text a squeaky clean polish to eliminate the five teeny-tiny typos and designing a new cover. I will also dedicate additional social media coverage and the record last read aloud video (Joanna’s Journey) to make it super appealing for in class usage in schools. The first two tasks of this item are already done… so the year is off to a good start! By the time I head to Milwaukee for the State Reading Convention, the other two steps will be done as well, so I can proudly proclaim this book’s praises while meeting with teachers, readily specialists and other education professionals.

2. Lather, Rise and Repeat the above process with Breaking the Surface and Bridging the Tides. These two books are longer (like three times as long, each) and also are in much tougher shape. It will take longer than I had originally hoped to polish these self-pubbed babies up, but hopefully, by mid-spring, they too will be ready to greet the world looking new inside and out.

3. I recently purchased, Atticus, an interior formatting software, thanks to the recommendation of a fellow writer and have plans to reformat my eBooks… which have always taken a backseat in my publication and look, well, less than professional. Hopefully by the time I get items 1-3 accomplished, my over all image and the impressions I make on those first discovering my work will be much improved!

4. Write and publish Close Quarters #3 - This will be Lindsay’s story and my head is already bursting with ideas.

5. Bring 2 other books to life through new-to-me publishing opportunities (STAY TUNED!)

After that, things get a little loosey-goosey.

I have more free time this spring semester than I’ve had in the year thanks to a lighter load at the college and the fact that all of my family members are attending school in person (for the time being/fingers crossed). I have ideas of what I’d like to do with this time, but specific tasks have yet to reveal themselves. Right now, they are more like areas of focus… branches of my authorpreneurship tree that I’d like to grow. The real truth is the down and dirty gardening of these branches would bore you, so I’m not going to list out the tasks. The tasks also fly on and off my to-do list so quickly that they’d be finished by the time I pressed publish on this post… so areas of focus it is.

Areas of Focus for 2022

Teachers Pay Teachers - This is the area of my business that is visibly growing faster than any other and so, as any good entrepreneur worth their salt says, “I’m going to double down on what’s working.” This means additional products and videos. Which products and videos? That’s what I’m still working out, but a Subscription Box Project, more novel resources and continued creation of First Chapter Friday resources are on the list.
YouTube - I am almost to monetization! I just need about 1,200 more hours of watch time. That sounds like a ton, but with the growth I’ve seen in my audience the last two months I’m hoping to be there by the end of February. If you want to help, head to my channel, click any video, and let it play!) I’ll be able to reach this important revenue generating milestone sooner and then, consequently make more money, if I make more videos… and so video creation is definitely an area of focus as well. I will maintain my First Chapter Friday series and hope to add some writing tip videos (like this one) to the line up as well. My goal is to create resources teachers need that students like.

And for right now, that’s it. I feel like there are areas of my business that are not on this list that could/should be (speaking engagements, audience growth, revenue goals…) but I also feel like what I have listed, is plenty to try and tackle in the year ahead. If I focus on content creation, really good content creation, I’m hoping the other things will come. And least, that’s my plan for this year.

What about you? What are your writing goals and resolutions for the year ahead? Tell me in the comments, or send me a DM on IG. I’d love to know.

Happy writing and Happy 2022!

~ Amanda

P.S. I’m sharing these plans with you for a variety of reasons.

You love me and my work and I giving you a glimpse of where I’m headed helps you feel involved… like you are traveling along with me. I like hearing stuff like this from my favorite authors and hope you do too.
I always find it helpful to see how other people “do it”. No matter what that is… teach, parent, format a book, pay off debt, plan a vacation, etc. For me, seeing a possible path, helps me chart my own. I might choose something entirely different, but vicariously experiencing someone else’s journey helps me know what I do and do not want to do and perhaps the way/style/direction I want to do it in. For those of you planning your own writing resolutions for the year ahead, I hope reading mine, are helpful to you.

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