My 2025 Goals So Far

You’ll find my attempt at a post with the aforementioned title, as suggested by Ava via our blog post title trade! Read more about the initiative, or contact me if you’d also like to trade!

We’re halfway through 2025 (already? time goes so slow yet so fast) and Ava suggested reflecting on my 2025 new year’s resolutions I made.

I’ve made them every 31 Dec since 2018. Some I achieve, others I don’t. I have a complicated relationship with goals. The structure appeals, but the rigidity struggles to hold my interest.

So, I’ll go through them, and see how I’ve gone!

• Convert Road Less Read to static HTML.
  • I’ve gone back and forth between if I should. I want to, for making the website last longer and load faster, using it more, and turning it into an actually useful site for folks...but I’ve made little progress. Probably because I’ve haven’t broken it down into manageable steps!
• Set up my Ko-Fi store with all my short stories, novels, and zines.
  • I set it up, and created the graphics, only to realize managing another web property and getting sucked into the social-media-esque styling...was hindering rather than helping. I’ve removed my account, and am using my site instead. I have plans to improve its usefulness!
• Launch monthly newsletter.
  • If you count launching two editions three months late, then not publishing for another four, then, yes? I’d like a more consistent publishing schedule.
• Produce and publish 1 new zine quarterly.
  • Haven’t managed this one. I created two zines in December (Don’t Throw Any Of Yourself Away and Pushing The Character Limit) but haven’t made any since!
• Re-release The Mara Files.
  • No progress whatsoever, except setting up a few publishing platforms? The task is daunting...so I’ve done nothing.
• Research the traditional publishing process.
  • I attended a fascinating virtual talk by Seth Fishman, who to my delight, is Becky Chambers’ agent! He has excellent taste. His advice was solid, and I took countless notes, if that...signifies even a little progress?
• Write and publish two articles monthly: one for this site and one for Road Less Read.
  • I’ve published a few notes on this site (part of trading post titles is forcing myself to write more frequently) but nothing on Road Less Read.
• Submit to two literary magazines/anthologies per month.
  • I submitted five things in February, but have only submitted two additional things since.
• Submit this site to web directories.
  • A yes! I’ve joined several delightful webrings.
• Finish the Don’t Burn Too Bright manuscript.
  • I’ve organized it, assembled more scenes, and wrote a few missing one. It’s still only ~4000 words long, though.
• Begin and complete the first draft of a new book (to look at traditional publishing.)
  • Nothing! Unfortunately.
• Attend one creative event monthly.
  • This one is in the bag! I attend Homebrew Website Club (almost) every Wednesday, which is the highlight of my week, and I’ve attended several author talks. Always love those!
• Make a journal entry every evening.
  • Haven’t managed every day, but I often do it in the morning.
• Listen to five new songs monthly.
  • I’m unsure of the specifics but I’ve discovered several artists this year! Parcels, Wyatt Flores, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Aitana.
• Read two good fiction books monthly.
  • Easily done! I’ve read many great novels this year. A pleasant change from my almost exclusive focus on non-fiction last year.
• Create a public progress tracker on this site, do a quarterly goal review and adjustment, record monthly progress updates via the newsletter.
  • As you can tell, I’ve done none.

So far...it’s been a lot of no progress. I’m disappointed, but not surprised. There's work to do! Still, I’ve done many wonderful things I couldn’t have expected:

• Austin Kleon shared a post of mine, Things To Do While Waiting!
• Many lovely folks have signed my guestbook.
• An essay of mine got featured in the Internet Phone Book.
• I contributed to Good Internet Magazine’s inaugural issue!
• One of my favorite writers complimented my writing.
• I got interviewed about my zines.
• Had the chance to be featured in a small way on two of my favorite podcasts.
• Wrote a few recommendations for perhaps my favorite newsletter.
• Hosted the IndieWeb Movie Club for April this year.
• Participated in the Indieweb Carnival twice.
• Emailed more delightful folks than I ever thought possible.
• Got a pitch accepted for something I can’t talk about (yet.)
• Landed myself a contract-based freelance series of projects via an unsolicited email.
• Learned more about programming and web development.
• Built out and streamlined my website.

The good and the not-so in equal measure. I must hold onto the former.

Maybe that’s the point of goals: not arriving at some predetermined destination, but paying attention to the journey. To notice who we’re becoming along the way.

Onwards and forwards to meaningful achievement!

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