Another year older and a new one just begun. John Lennon – Xmas Song (War is Over)

The end of a year seems to bring out the reflective side in people, myself included. For me, 2014 was an especially eventful and change filled year. The difference between a two-year-old and three-year-old child is astounding. (Click the links to see Christmas Concert videos from 2013 and 2014) What was something to be amazed by at two, is common at three. Fortunately there are a host of new things to be surprised by. Oh, and forget what they say about the ‘terrible two’s.’ Three is SO much more ‘terrible’ in terms of being defiant and tantrums.

Another big difference is how we measure time. It’s harder to believe this was our fourth Christmas with ‘lil q than it is to believe Mike and I will be celebrating 20 years together this coming February. When it was just Mike and I, time seemed rather constant. One year blended into the next. But marking time as parents is so much different. The dramatic changes from year to year emphasize how truly fast time flies. And that puts an entirely new spin on my self-reflections. Each year is important and shouldn’t be wasted.

In 2014, I had hoped to do a few things–some I managed, some I didn’t. For some there were good reasons why I didn’t get them done and for others, I got nothing.

My goal for 2014 was to finish a couple projects—Book Two of Champion of the Gods; The Eye and the Arm and Harp Strings the story I started during NaNoWriMo. The Eye and The Arm was finished in June and is set for release in April ’15 from DSP Publications. Harp Strings, however, didn’t get done. One reason is that after book 2 of Champions, I agreed to a schedule to get books 3, 4 and 5 completed. That pushed me to work on book 3 – Kings of Lore and Legend instead of Harp Strings. But that is only a partial explanation. Probably the bigger reason for completing only half of my goals is time wasting. I’m not terribly good at managing time.

I could play the child card and say I didn’t have the time, but what good is self-reflection if I lie to myself. Why ask the Mirror on the Wall who’s the fairest in the land if you won’t listen to the answer? The real reason I didn’t complete both projects is because I let myself get easily distracted. I’d be writing and I’d stop and go check email, or Facebook or play an on-line game, whatever. And instead of writing, I got very little done.

Another area that would get an “F” is Free Fiction Friday. I’m part of a group that posts free stories in installments each Friday. Sadly, I’ve not been as consistent as I’ve wanted. Here again, it comes down to time management. If I’d done a better job of it, I’d be able to post more regularly.

There were some areas where I manage to meet my goals. I’ve been better at blogging, better at maintaining contact with folks on social media and I managed to get to GRL this year.

So with that in mind, in 2015 I’m going to commit to a few goals. (resolutions sounds so much more dire and formal.) In this post I’ll just share my writing goals, I’ll post a more comprehensive list of goals after the New Year on my blog.

• I will finish the three projects I have started in 2015: Harp Strings, Kings of Lore and Legend, and book 4 of Champions—no title yet. To do this I will need to;
• Improve my time management. I’m going to set weekly goals (daily ones are too subject to the whims of a bad day) and limit my time on-line until I’ve managed to get something constructive done. That will also help me;
• Be more consistent with Free Fiction Friday. Not much to explain there. Once I’ve improved my time management and gotten more writing accomplished, I’ll;
• Market smarter – this one is going to be a yearlong project. I don’t really have an idea how to ‘market’ better, so this is going to be a learning experience. One of the ways to market smarter will be to;
• Blog better. When I starting my blog I had regular weekly guests. For ’15, I want to do weekly author interviews again. (Anyone reading this interested in being a guest, email me.) My goal is for at least one spotlight a week. My hope is that if I do all the above, I’ll;
• Have more fun. Writing isn’t my job—at least it isn’t something I rely on to make a living—and I don’t plan for it to be a ‘necessary’ part of my income. I want it to be more fun again. That might be inconsistent with my some of ‘goals.’ If having fun conflicts with my other goals, I’ll re-evaluate my overall approach. (Ssee why ‘resolution’ wasn’t the right word?), but for now I try to do both.

I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 2014. I’ve met a lot of new people and made quite a few new friends through writing. I hope to build on those relationships and maybe make some new ones in 2015. Happy New Year to all. May it be full of fun, friends, and good memories.

-AQG

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.

He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of nineteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day.

Follow Andrew:

On his website: www.andrewqgordon.com,

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon,

On Twitter: @andrewqgordon,

Or just email him: andrewqgordon@gmail.com

Books:

From Wayward Ink Publishing:

A Closed Door

From DSP Publications:

The Last Grand Master: (Champion of the Gods – Book 1)

The Eye and the Arm: (Champion of the Gods – Book 2 – Coming April ’15)

From Dreamspinner Press:

Purpose:

(Un)Masked

Self published:

Ashes of Life