by Heidi McCahan, @HeidiMcCahan
As the end of the year approaches, it’s important to reflect on the past twelve months so we can plan effectively for the new year. Writers who want to reach that next career milestone must evaluate what went well and what can be improved. Here are five ways writers can end the year strong.
1. Celebrate your wins: identify the accomplishments in your writing life and reward yourself. Remember, this is not about comparison. It’s about celebrating what you did to make progress in your writing career. Perhaps you pitched to an agent for the first time, or finished that draft you’ve worked on for ages, or maybe you published your first novel. Give yourself permission to acknowledge your wonderful achievements.
2. Identify a contest to enter and/or an agent to query: Looking ahead to the new year, identify a contest you can enter. There are several for unpublished and published works. Write down the deadlines for entering, as well as steps you’ll need to take to prepare your entry. If you don’t have a literary agent yet and this is one of your career goals, find one or more who represent published authors in your genre. Visit their websites and read their submission guidelines, then establish a deadline for when you’ll send your query.
3. Prepare and polish your proposal: December is a wonderful time to write and revise a proposal. Then you’re ready to submit in the new year and yours can be among the first in the agents’ and editors’ inboxes when they return to work after the holidays.
4. Create and schedule January’s social media content: think about your overall message as a writer. What do you want your platform to say about you? What are you passionate about? Consider the three E’s when creating your social media posts, and design content that entertains, encourages, and educates. Once you’ve created your content, use one of the many available online tools to schedule your posts for January 2022.
5. Invest in a planning system that works for you: the folks at My Book Therapy have consistently emphasized the value of intentionally planning our writing lives so we can achieve our goals. There are countless paper and digital planners available in the marketplace. Choose one that works for you and commit to using it.
Happy holidays, writer friends. Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished. Here’s to a productive and rewarding new year!
This cowboy can charm almost anyone…
Except the mother of his surprise baby girl.
Former bull rider Landon Chambers has made mistakes. Big ones. But discovering that he’s the father of a sweet little girl might be the best thing ever. Now Landon just has to convince her mother, navy diver Kelsey Sinclair, that his wild, troubled cowboy days are over. But Kelsey’s not quite sure she can trust Landon with her little girl…or her cautious heart.
Heidi McCahan writes uplifting inspirational romance novels set in small towns. Readers fall in love with her flawed characters who desperately need second chances. A perfect day for Heidi includes a huge cup of strong coffee, dark chocolate, and reading books with happy endings. She makes her home in North Carolina with her handsome husband, three amazing boys, and the world’s greatest goldendoodle. The Bull Rider’s Fresh Start, Heidi’s next novel with Harlequin Love Inspired, releases August 24, 2021.