Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions Year End Review

Well, here it is, my annual review of my2010/11 writing year. This is where I take a look back at where I was one year ago, examine what my objectives were, and see if I’ve actually made any progress. As you will see, this year has been one of my best; lost of highs mixed with a few, and in one case very sad, lows.

Items that were not achieved are in red.

Highs of 2010/11

Writing

• Wrote MORE POOLSIDE POETRY
• Wrote London-based chapbook
• Wrote Edinburgh/Leith-based chapbook
• Re-wrote GATECRASH
• Completed BACCARA BURNING
• Completed GREENER IS THE GRASS
• Coffee shop chapbook idea spawned
• Involved with artist for SILLY POEMS VOL.3 illustrations

Publication

• LETTING GO (ss) published in Open Wide Magazine
• REGRETS (ss) published in summer issue of Dublin Quarterly
• BUZZ (ff) accepted by Flashes in the Dark
• THE FINAL NAIL (p) published on Every Day Poems
• SELEKTION 3rd edition published

Courses

• Deconstruction workshop at Savvy Authors: The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
• Story Building workshop at the Muse Online Writers’ Conference
• Savvy Author’s Course (One Story, Many Voices)
• Supported the Confident Freelancer webinar
• Full day novel writing course at the Edinburgh Book Festival

Other

• Invited to be a guest author at the Sharjah International Book Fair
• Contacted by Alan Spence re my book festival blog.
• Met Phill Jupitus and discussed his new book, poetry, ska and radio
• Contacted by Glasgow’s Aye Write! Book festival
• Resigned from positions of Associate Editor and Webmaster from the Scruffy Dog Review
• Made many great new contacts & friends through networking/twitter
• Approached by Louise Rennison’s publicist
• Edinburgh Bookshop agreed to stock FF and SP
• Guardian Edinburgh invited me to submit material
• Got all Books on Kindle and FF on iBooks
• Involved with writing poetry for the Trees for Life Charity Exhibition
• Submitted recording of poetry to the PSH Blog Talk Radio show
• Made a patron of The Sky Project charity
• Launched the first episode of the Colin Galbraith Podcast
• Application for media accreditation at the Edinburgh Book Festival accepted
• Generated a lot of local publicity through City of Lit Story Shop article
• Generated a massive amount of UK publicity during the London Riots
• Officially join Savvy Authors
• Re-subscribed to Writing Magazine
• Purchased iMac
• Jury duty
• Saw the British Royal Family!!

Lows of 2010/11

• Death of my Father-in-Law
• Struggled with BACCARA BURNING for far too long
• No serious challenge to NaNoWriMo
• SLICK returned twice
• Lost two weeks due to Wisdom teeth extraction
• Application unsuccessful for Edinburgh City of Literature Story Shop programme
• Lost News of the World gig after the paper was shut down in the wake of the “Phone Hacking Scandal”

What were my GOALS for 2010/11?

• Complete all partially written manuscripts – achieved
  • Greener is the Grass – achieved
  • Baccara Burning – achieved
  • Gatecrash – achieved
• Get at least one novel/novella published – not achieved
• Write one new full-length novel – achieved
• Publish a new chapbook – not achieved (5 chapbooks in production, though)
• Read 42 novels – not achieved

How did I plan to structure the year to support my writing?

Read more, write more and continue to keep a balance with family/life more. Not much restructuring therefore required, but I need to focus on the time I do have more. – achieved

Where did I need to ease up on myself?

Can’t do it all at once. – achieved

What steps did I feel I needed to take on the technical front to achieve these goals?

• Invest in an iPhone – achieved
• Invest in a Mac Mini – achieved, though I upgraded to an iMac
• Develop podcasting and other social media routes – achieved

What new and unique marketing arenas did I plan to enter to promote myself and my work?

• Podcasting – achieved
• Readings – not achieved
• Promotion to book fairs – not achieved

What were my DREAMS for 2010/11?

• To win a writing competition – not achieved
• To have all of my completed manuscripts picked up – not achieved

What were my RESOLUTIONS for 2010/11?

• Stay off the cigarettes – achieved
• <personal resolution> – achieved

Where did I want to be with my writing in the long-term

• I want to be regularly publishing fiction – achieved
• I want to be recognised by my peers – achieved

How did I plan to change/compromise on the non-supportive elements in my life?

• Cut out negative and non-supporting aspects from my writing life – achieved
• Try and get across that I also need support in this endeavour – achieved

What did I feel I should do to refer to myself, first and foremost, as a “writer”?

• I already do, but having more fiction published in paying markets will help – not achieved
• I should also promote myself more and take any opportunities that arise – achieved

With what new type of writing did I plan on experimenting with in the coming year?

None (at the moment), though I am going to look into undertaking more writing courses – achieved

What new non-writing interests did I wish to add to my life in the past year

None (at the moment). – not applicable

What overall changes did I feel I needed to make in my life to achieve ALL of my life goals

• Not allow writing to encroach on my family time and vice versa but to integrate it instead – achieved
• Move further outside my comfort zone and put myself in more challenging situations – achieved
• Network in positive areas as much as possible and be more confident about doing it – achieved
• Maximise output – Maximise visibility – achieved
• Think big – Think positive – achieved