How to Prep for 2018 as a Writer
If you didn’t already know, 2018 is two weeks away. But you’re smart so I won’t mention it again. But since it’s almost time to wrap up one year and start anew, let’s talk about how we can turn our attention to set ourselves up for 2018. In the next few weeks, I’ll be doing some internal housecleaning for Laura Teagan to make sure I’m ready for the new year.
I wanted to share what I’ll be doing so you can do the same in the areas where you feel you need it.
1. Checking in on all My Characters
I’m four books into my series and there are a lot of moving characters and changes to each character. I use my Evernote template for all the major characters in my books, and it’s time I make sure all my information is up to date.
I’ll also be working on developing some new characters for something outside of my book series. I’m hoping to start this new project at the beginning of the year, which of course means getting to know the characters.
2. Do a Little Plotting
In addition to my main book series, I have to plot my new project. I’m hoping that I can do a little bit of plotting with that new idea in the next few weeks. I hope to plan it out at the end of the year so I can start headfirst on New Years’ Day.
3. Look at What I Want to Write Next Year
I have a rough idea of what my production schedule will look like next year, but I know I’m wanting to write something new. On my plate, I’ve got two novels and a possibly a short story series. In the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a look at when I want to focus on each project.
3. A Social Media Strategy
Laura Teagan’s social media was kind of “eh” this year and I’d like to change that in 2018. While I know I’ve got the skills, at some point I’d love to work with a social media expert to really take Laura Teagan to the next level. But first, I need to take her as far as I can, and that includes being smart about it and planning ahead.
4. Update the Website
I want to make sure Laura Teagan has an awesome website and I’m going to be making little tweaks over the next few weeks to the website. Make sure all the pages have correct links, set up correct sign-up links, and make sure the back end is solid. I feel like there are a lot of links that lead to nowhere on that site and I need to track them all down.
Earlier this year, I made a writing resources page on my author side, and I’m hoping to expand upon that a lot.
5. Check My Mailing List and Those Automations
I briefly mentioned automation last week in my post about mailing lists, but I need to update mine for the new year. I’d also like to plan my mailing list content and step that up next year as well.My email platform, Mailerlite, has automation on the free plan, so I’m going to really focus on building up my list again. I want Laura Teagan to be something that can support itself (or herself) and a mailing list that runs itself is a huge part of that.