Blogging, Writing, Literary and Personal Goals for 2019
4:07 PM
It's a few days into 2019 and I'm more than ready to see where life takes us this year. Are you?
Blogging Goals
- Interact with you guys more. I don't mean only commenting back on my own posts more frequently. I mean, talking more via social networks like Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads more and commenting on your posts more. I get my head stuck in the clouds a bit much but this year I'm trying to branch out further and get to know my readers, and a good portion of the reading community, much more.
- Aim for 2-3 posts per week. Sometimes I get in such a slump when it comes to writing non-review posts, but the last few months I've been making a much bigger effort to expand what I blog about.
- On a similar topic: MORE GUEST POSTS. I'm talking readers, authors, publishers, etc--I'm going to be having a lot more guest writers. Get ready: I've got two more planned in the next few months.
- Plan my entries much more in advance. Schedule drafts. I'm not saying I won't spontaneously have more blog posts here and there. I am, however, saying that I need to get an outline going of some ideas for the year. Lists! Countdowns! More reaction posts! Photo journals! Blogger spotlights! We're going to go BIG this year on Booked J. Hopefully.
- Expand back into my lifestyle posts. I stopped doing this a while back and started to just post my reviews of various products (beauty, health, food, etc) to Influenster instead of my blog. I am going to try to do more. I'm one of those people that loves A LOT and does a lot (and may be on the path to becoming a lipstick hoarder but that's neither here nor there) so I want to start talking about that more. I'd say you should expect mostly literary posts but I wouldn't feel especially surprised if I posted beauty hauls/reviews and some thrifty finds.
- Get my views up a little bit. My stats for 2018 were a lot better than I expected. I went a few months where I rarely blogged. I got behind a lot. BUT! I think that with my goals I've already listed, I'll be able to get my stats up again.
- Start a Youtube? Which would be directly tied into the blog so totally counts as blogging. It is called VLOGGING, after-all.
- Cover more book adaptations. Last year there were SO MANY page-to-screen posts I wanted to make but I felt a little overwhelmed with how many films and shows were based upon books or comics. It was WILD. I'm going to do better with it this year.
- Host more meme-type things. Are they even called memes? I'm not great with internet slang. I am just going to point at my previous note saying that my head is always in the clouds. It's true. I am surprised I'm even coherent about 98% of the time. I'm going to do a reprise of my City of Bones celebration. Only, instead of it being about the tenth anniversary, it's going to center around The Shadowhunter Chronicles further. Plus, Loretta and I have been discussing doing something with The Infernal Devices. [UPDATE] CHALLENGES. I want to participate in more challenges and the like. Give me some good ones, readers!
- Gossip Girl reread and rewatch with live reactions and discussions. And I'm going to be pretty savage, I'd expect. I don't really think I am going to recommend reading that if you're a fan of the show because I get kind of uppity and rude about it? It's one of those flaws. I'm protective over that series. Okay, maybe uppity/rude is not the way to describe it but I know I get annoying about it! SO!
- Purchase a new theme and maybe some graphics and a domain again. Did I mention I am toying with moving Booked J to Wordpress? If only I could get the import thing to work.
- Reach out to more publishers instead of merely requesting books on NetGalley and Edelweiss. It's a hit or miss experience, requesting review copies, but I'm going to work on the way I present myself and when I reach out to them a bit more in 2019.
Writing Goals
- Self-publish my poetry. I have about six books worth of poetry stashed up. I'm a singer/song writer, so prose is always spilling out and sometimes it's decent. The problem is I am (a) broke and (b) a perfectionist so I haven't really taken the dive yet. With bloggers fully committing to their writing, I've been feeling more and more inspired the last two or three years and I think I might be ready to publish somethings.
- Just write more in general? I have been looking into some writing classes. I'm one of those more reluctant writers. I cringe every time I say, "I'm a writer" and deny that 99.9% of the time. That's not an exaggeration.
- Finish the true-crime novel I've been working on for the better part of a year. It's been a long time coming. For those of you who are new--or just simply don't know--one of my aunts was murdered just a few months before I was born. It's a long story.
- Shorten my reviews. Learn how to express my feelings towards books without overwhelming you guys. I know I talk a lot.
Literary Goals
- Read 100 books at least. If you follow me on Goodreads, you've already seen my goal. Considering I surpassed my goal last year, I feel pretty confident that I can reach it again. I may just be cocky, though.
- READ MORE CLASSICS. I don't think you necessarily have to read classic literature. It's not for everyone. I've read some downright boring ones that became tedious. But I've also read a few really great ones and I'd like to explore it further. Some of my classic goals this year would be a reread of favourites like Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby and Frankenstein. As for expanding my classic collections, I haven't figured out what books I want to read for the first time just yet, but I will post it as a sort of challenge to myself sometime this month or next.
- Finish more from my TBR, including books that are wildly popular that I haven't read. Or just haven't finished. I was thinking about it the other day and there's so much I haven't read fully. I'm looking at you, Rick Riordan's entire published works.
- DNF more books if they make me unhappy/just aren't my cup of tea. While it really messes with my head to not finish something, I'm going to try to not waste my time on something that isn't for me.
- More diversity. I'm so glad that there are so many upcoming releases that are diversifying literature again. And those that have been here all along are getting more press and acknowledgment.
- Take on more genres. In 2016, I read more thrillers, children's books and science-fiction. In 2017, I read more romance/NA books and poetry. In 2018, I read more true-crime and non-fiction than ever, and explored some middle grade releases. As for this year, I'm going to pounce on many more genres and broaden what I read.
- Less Kindle time. I love my Kindle. I have no negativity towards digital copies of novels. My eyes are just hating me for the amount of time I read on them. I miss my Kindle that wasn't a tablet but I can't afford to replace it right now.
- Audiobooks. Listen to at least five. Enough said.
Personal Goals
- Career related stuff. I need to be able to support myself a little bit better. Money is short and, well, I'm sure you guys all get what I'm saying there. I am not doing great with financial stuff so 2019, I need to remedy that. I need to apply for more stuff.
- Work-out more frequently. I'm a runner. I'm not saying to work out for weight loss purposes, as it happens I'd be happy for it but I'm not exactly straining myself to knock off some pounds as a new year goal, but to build up strength again. My leg is pretty much a pain due to the fact that I was hit by a car as a teenager, but I'm going to work harder to get into some new routines. I am thinking yoga and jogging more frequently and gradually going to the gym. Also, I hope to have my bike fixed up by the spring so I can start riding it once more.
- Channel my stress and health issues into something new. I'm not sure what exactly that would be but I'm going to do something new this year. This is a vague enough goal, it'll probably get completed.
- Move. Enough said.
- Work on my music again. It's been so long. I miss my flute and can't afford to fix it, but at least I still have my vocals.
- Talk to my friends and family more consistently. I did well enough in 2018 and keep getting better at it through the years, but, I'm not always the greatest. I have a nasty little habit of just dropping in and out of things--not on purpose. I'm going to work on that. I'm going to do better with responding to texts and making time for people I love.
- Meet new people. My adult life has been spent on making new friends. It's not that I'm not content with who I do have in my life, it's just that I want to know more people.
- Less drinking! My stomach is regressing back to a not-so-great place and I have to wonder if it is what I've been drinking or eating, even.
What are your goals for 2019?
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