2020 Plans (Patreon)

I already posted my themes for the coming year! Here, then, are my concrete plans!

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH WRITING

As I mentioned in my theme post, I’m planning to get off the hamster wheel of delivering a billion books a year, even if it means my revenue plummets. This year, I’m only planning to finish Heartskein (due in Q1 of 2020); then I’m going to leave the Peltedverse for a while to write and publish the Coracle books. I think of all of them as a single work, even though it’s a quadrology, because they’re shorter than my books usually come in. These books are a change of pace for me: sort of my homage to the Christian fantasies I grew up reading, like Lewis's Narnia and L'engle's Time Quintet.

I’m not going to stop myself from writing more books, but nothing else is on the schedule. (And I notice that even so, this is five novels in one year! But Heartskein is nearly done, and one of the four Coracle books is already written and the second is already started. So it’s not as much work as it sounds.)

EXPERIMENT WITH ART

My sole goal with art this year is to adjust my life a little more to accommodate it. I have some exciting (hopefully!) plans in that direction, mostly involved with rearranging my workspace to make art easier. I have noticed that my last rearrangement resulted in me drawing more; looking back at 2019’s output has been delightful, especially the pages that resulted from prompts I got on Discord, which often inspired me to stretch myself, or draw characters that I ordinarily wouldn’t have.

Discord continues to be amazing. I have no regrets giving up social media for chat. It’s like the good old days of Mucks, but less finicky and more accessible. It’s fun to have your company!

EXPLORE TEACHING MORE

I have three teaching engagements this year: two online, via Cat Rambo’s academy, and one in Montana at a writers’ conference to which I was invited through the auspices of a certain gryfess. (Thank you, Jess! I am looking forward to meeting you in person at last!) I also have one exhibit as a visiting artist at my alma mater, which comes with a couple of teaching opportunities. In addition, I have access to a few venues locally that were open to some seminar pitches I made last year. If I want a little revenue boost during the dog sales days of the year, I might give that a try. It would be interesting to get more involved with the local community.

BE MYSELF, UNAPOLOGETICALLY

I’ve worked in arts and academia all my life where many of my facets are lauded, most commonly my race and my status as an immigrant daughter. It’s much harder in these circles to be a Catholic, and a conservative. But those things have always been part of me, and have informed every piece of art I’ve ever made, and I am no longer comfortable pretending otherwise. I’m not interested in spending all my time talking about my beliefs, but I’m not going to pretend I’m something I’m not, either, in order to avoid abuse or prejudice.

As always, I am open to any person who approaches me with an open heart and a fair hearing; I love people, and have friends of multiple beliefs. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned too much, and been too enriched by those relationships, to give them up. ❤️

BUSINESSWISE, GO LEAN, PLAY MORE

All of this is creative or personal, of course, but I do have a job…! My goal this year is Reduce Expenses since last year was a complete mess. I stopped the hemorrhaging in fall but it was too late by then, and I gave up and coasted to the end of the year. I’m not going to make that mistake this year! There are some easy places to make big cuts, and doing so will stop pouring good money after bad in an attempt to justify ventures that aren’t working. By the end of 2020 I should have the data to make new choices about how I want to advance in 2021.

Also this year, I’d like to run some more “interact with readers/viewers” things: large ones like the Major Pieces Kickstarter, and small ones like the various ‘prompts at coffee shop’ sessions. I don’t have any concrete plans for these events but that’s partially intended: I don’t want to be so focused on what I think would be a good idea that I miss suggestions that lead to better ones. My business has always thrived most when I’ve been responsive to my community, because honestly y’all are awesome and we have fun when we wander the jaguarbrain together. This is one of my—I’m going to say it, laughing because it’s appropriate—core competencies, so I’m going to keep that in mind.

That, then is my plan: a reduced writing schedule of 5 books; experiment with art; try more teaching; be myself; and be mindful of my business’s strengths and reduce its weaknesses. We’re going to have fun!