Author Journey (January 16, 2023)
I was full of excitement for the New Year that it never occurred to me that it might be just like the last one… There were some post-vacation incidents that knee-capped my optimism. That was last week, this week is another story!
Author Journey (January 16, 2023)
Welcome to the first official Author Journey post of 2023. This year, I’m going to try a new format so that I can keep myself accountable and recognise when I am achieving things, rather than just going on a gut feeling. As with most things I do, I end up taking it to the nth degree, so this will hopefully help me focus on a smaller and more achievable goal. This year, I’m taking things one week at a time.
The Weekly Recap!
Like all good shounen anime episodes, I’m going to begin each post with a recap of the previous week’s events. Last week started with a full day of travelling as I flew home from England with the family. It was a long flight followed by a long drive. By the time we were home, everyone was exhausted, however, we also had the time change to deal with. The kids did not deal with it too well. On Tuesday, they woke up at four in the morning and that definitely impacted their school day. As a result, my youngest ended up staying home the next two days to recover and then Friday was a snow day thanks to a large dump of snow overnight.
As you might imagine, all of this impacted my routine. Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg as it was month-end and year-end at the day job so I had a lot of work to do, kids to entertain, and jet lag to deal with. Not only did I not get much work done, but I also got less sleep than normal. There was just nowhere to claw any time from. Luckily, this is my first of these new posts which means I don’t have any weekly goals set. I barely had time to work out this new format either, but here’s my progress from last week anyhow.
| Tasks | Goal | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Anime Watched | N/A | 2 Episodes |
| Manga Read | N/A | 4 Books |
| Posts Scheduled | N/A | 9 Posts |
| Chapters Written | N/A | 0 Chapters |
| Artwork Completed | N/A | 0 Pieces |
So, I didn’t have any goals for last week, but this should give you an idea of the sorts of things I’m going to be looking to achieve on a weekly basis. Why didn’t I just come up with a goal and retrospectively slot it in? Well, this is one of the finer details behind these posts. Each week, I’m going to look at what I have on my calendar and adjust my goals to fit the availability. This way, I won’t get discouraged or frustrated when I look back at what I did.
Aspirations for the Week!
This is the point in the new format where I can put last week behind me and focus on what I want to get out of this week. I’m not looking at the big picture at this point, just what can I realistically achieve in the next seven days.
Well, the good news is that the day job should calm down today or tomorrow. All being well, the kids will be at school as normal and I should have a pretty open schedule. Of course, I know all too well how that has gone for me in the past, but I shall remain optimistic. At least for this week…
Watching Anime
At the moment, I’m publishing thirteen anime review posts a week. That is partly because of some posts I had lying around and wanted to get them out there. Going forward, my goal will probably be to release nine a week so that is what I will aim for. I have six series to choose from which should allow for a bit of variety.
Goal: 9 Episodes
Reading Manga
Before I went on vacation, I put a bunch of holds on some books at my library and then paused them until a couple of days before I was back. That kept my place in the queue but meant that they weren’t expecting me to pick them up while I was away. Last week I read volumes four to seven of Chainsaw Man. This week, I would love to read eight to eleven and that is what I will do!
Goal: 4 Books
Posts Scheduled
Usually, I watch an episode or read a book and write a post. Then there’s also this post. Sometimes, I’ll have a season review to write which is an extra. It’s possible that I finish an anime series this week, but I’m not going to count on it. If I do, it’ll be a bonus extra post. So, nine plus four plus one equals fourteen posts.
Goal: 14 Posts
Chapters Written
It’s been a little while since I’ve done any writing, but it’s probably the one area I really need to ensure I hit my goals. If I don’t write the chapters, I can’t release the book. Currently, I have two unfinished novels, one unfinished series that demands a rewrite, and two novellas that I want to write. It’s worth noting that my chapters tend to be one thousand to two thousand words in length. Because of that, I felt like the number of chapters was a better target for me than words. I’m going to try to write each workday, so let’s go for five chapters.
Goal: 5 Chapters
Artwork Completed
I love drawing. It’s one of the most relaxing things I can do. I also want to include internal images in all my books and produce the covers myself. Sure, that’s something I should probably outsource. One day I might, but I’d still want to keep drawing so this is more for me than any of the other goals. During Inktober, I was doing one a day for a while, but that was way too much so I’ll start with one a week and see how we go.
Goal: 1 Piece
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it. That’s what I have lined up for this week. I’ve set out my thoughts behind the goals and look forward to achieving them. If I don’t, then I can reassess my assumptions and make better goals for next week. I feel like this approach will allow for more accountability and will make me balance my time better. Too many times last year, I would focus on one aspect of my goals over all others. You could argue that it doesn’t really matter as long as the focus shifts from time to time. Well, it wasn’t, which is why I’m trying this method.
How do you set your goals? Is there any method to the madness or do you simply pull a number out of the air and try to reach it? I’ve tried a number of different approaches and am always looking to improve my process. Hopefully, this will be a step in the right direction. Anyhow, stay safe and thanks for reading.
That’s a lot of anime posts each week! Very impressive output. My wife has suggested that I cut back on my anime posts, because she reasoned that I could spend the time writing novels. Except, I find writing reviews to be a) a great palette cleanser and b) plain relaxing. If I cut back anime reviews, I think it would negatively impact my writing.
That’s my story, anyway!
As as goals go: I know life’s out to get me. Okay, that’s anthropomorphizing. I know life’s going to be unpredictable, so I have strategic goals and tactical goals. My strategic goals are working on the novel 6 days a week and publishing 2 novels a year. Tactically, the goals vary week to week, and I set the goals at the beginning of each week. Tactically, I might say I’m going to finish a certain arc’s midpoint and start pinch 2 in the coming week.
I found that if I tried to plan too far in advance, I’d get discouraged. But if I kept the strategy going by working at least a little on novels six days a week and publishing 2 books a year, things seem to work out. I get discouraged less often, because even if I didn’t finish pinch 2, I’m still working in the right direction.
I like the new format, too.
“Like all good shounen anime episodes, ”
LOL.
I agree with you and your wife. We’d have so much more time if we weren’t doing this, but I see it as a way to increase my understanding of stories, blow off some steam, and I’d be lying if I didn’t hope that this platform might help me sell those books I need to finish at some point.
I’m hoping this approach will help me get more done and not get so down when everything seems to be working against me. My novels will be shorter than yours, but I’m also hoping to release a couple of novellas too this year. Need to really get my focus back if I want to achieve that much.
Thanks, and I hate the recap segment at the beginning of shounen anime episodes. They are even more frustrating as a binge-watcher.