Blog Update Mayhem

Well, I was originally hoping to avoid writing a whole post on end-of-the-year meets beginning-of-the-year business, but I had too much to just put in the header or footer of a post. No worries--I'll be getting to fresh posts soon!

2015

It's been an awesome first year for the blog! These seven-odd months have challenged me in new ways, stretched me as a writer, and encouraged me to become a thinking reader. I think I've surprised a person or two with how many Christian sci-fi and fantasy books exist, so the mission is proceeding as planned! (Do I cackle maniacally there? I'm not sure if it's quite villain laugh worthy. Hmph. I digress.)

In all seriousness, you guys have really encouraged me. I never thought that the blog would come so far so fast. Some people might not think that seven followers and a dozen or so views per post is significant, but it's more than I dreamed I'd have at this point, so thank you! (Pat yourselves on the back here. I bet you didn't think you'd be getting a flexibility workout, did you?)

I re-designed the blog toward the end of the year to be a little more inviting while still looking "old". Let me know in the comments if you are still having trouble viewing anything because of colors, or if you think there's some way to make it better!

While the end-of-year craziness was in progress, I posted a little less frequently than normal. However, that gave me some time to think of some new post ideas to kick off the new year. 

2016

So, in addition to Friday Fiction Fix, I'll be starting a series on writing habits/my personal writing process. (Oh dear. That means I actually can't wander about willy-nilly without a writing process any more.) That will start next Tuesday, a week from today. Any extra posts/random thoughts that pop through my head will be posted on Wednesdays or Thursdays on a very irregular basis.

I will be looking for guest posters toward the end of April/beginning of May and again in July, as well as (possibly) at other times. If you're interested, shoot me an email using the contact form in the left column. I'll take anything from discussions of sci-fi movies to fantasy book reviews to articles about writing to opinions on the current publishing industry, so long as articles are clean (no foul language, overt sexual references, or rudeness), well-revised, and written from a Christian worldview. I'll post another reminder about the opportunities once the dates get closer and I have a better idea of how many articles I'll need. 

I also thought I'd share my writing/reading goals of 2016:

• Read 60 books. You can follow my progress on Good Reads, where you can also give me book suggestions.
• Write 5,000 words/ week. I wrote nothing in any WIP in December after writing 50k in November. That tells me that setting a goal will light a fire under my rear end to keep me writing. I've even created a graph on my computer so I can see how well I'm doing. 
• Rewrite Crossfire, the second book in my dystopian series. It needs it. 
• Finish and then edit or rewrite Fractures, my fantasy book from NaNo this year. I have the gut feeling it's going to need rewritten before anything else can happen.
• Plan and write the first draft of Crosshairs, the third (and final?) book in my dystopian series. We'll see if that ends up being the actual title or not. 
• Revisit an old project. I have a couple really old stories floating around in flash drives and battered notebooks. I'd like to revisit one or more of them and see what can be done with them. 
• Continue to grow the blog. I intend to keep posting twice a week (and maybe even add in a third post over the summer months). I'm also hoping to get involved with more authors, a blog tour or two, and some other fun projects. 
• Follow/comment on more blogs. I probably have more than 10 blogs in my reading list. I'd like to comment more regularly on some of them. It's amazing how much getting a comment can brighten your day as a blogger! (If you have a blog and I don't currently follow it, leave a link in the comments below and I'll stop by to check it out.)

How was your 2015? What are your writing/reading goals for 2016?