Weekly Goals - February 25, 2018

Currently attempting to meet my February goals. Now to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project this week.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Only wrote around 700 words on this one.

3. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Met this goal.
 
 Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Write 625 words on "Toll Road".

Weekly Goals - February 18, 2018

Currently attempting to meet my February goals. Had a great time this past weekend at ConDFW. Sold a few books, sat on a few panels, and enjoyed spending time with fans. Unfortunately, it ate into my writing time. Now to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project this week.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Only wrote around 200 words on this one.

3. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Met this goal, with around 750 words written on my story "Toll Road."

 Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Write 625 words on "Toll Road".

Weekly Goals - February 11, 2018

Currently attempting to meet my February goals. Time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project this week.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Wrote around 800 words on this one. Not a lot, but more than the prior week.

3. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Met this goal, with around 750 words written on my story "Toll Road."

 Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Write 625 words on "Toll Road".

Weekly Goals - February 4, 2018

Currently attempting to meet my February goals. Time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project this week.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project either.

3. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Exceeded this goal, with over 1000 words written on my short story "Toll Road." Already up around 6000 words on this story, so thinking it may be shifting into novella length at some point.

Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Write 625 words on "Toll Road".

Februrary 2018 Writing Goals

Well, it's been one month since I first started working toward my writing goals. Things have gone okay, although not as well as I'd hoped. Still, some work is better than nothing, which is close to where I had been for the past year or more.


So, here are the results for January:

1. Complete 13,000 words on Before the Dawn. Completed around 3,000 words this month.

2. Complete 7,000 words on a new Aston West novella. Didn't get anything started on this goal.

3. Complete 20,000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. Completed around 7,000 words this month.

4. Complete 10,000 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. Didn't get anything started on this goal.

5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series. Developed plots for both of these novellas, so met this goal.

6. Write 2500 words on a new Aston West short story. Met this goal, by completing around 3,000 words on my story "Toll Road."

So, things were a bit hectic this past month. I'm repeating most of these goals for the month of February:

1. Complete 13,000 words on Before the Dawn. This will require 3250 words per week, or a little over 1000 words per day, writing three days per week.

2. Complete 7,000 words on a new Aston West novella. This will require 1750 words per week, or 850 words per day, if I write two days per week.

3. Complete 20,000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. This comes up to 5000 words per week, or 1000 words per day if I write five days per week.

4. Complete 10,000 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. This will require 2500 words per week, or 500 words per day if I write five days per week.

5. Write 2500 words on Aston West short stories (hopefully completing "Toll Road" in the process). This will require 625 words per week, which should be able to be completed in a single day.

6. Complete the first draft of "Runaway" with Lyndon Perry.

Hoping things slow down a bit on the non-writing front, so I can get to a few more of these.

Weekly Goals - January 28, 2018

Still having a hectic time in life, and still attempting to meet my January goals. Time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project this week.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Didn't have a chance to write anything on this project either.

3. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series. - Met with Lyndon this week, and worked out the primary plot for book two. We have a general idea where book three will go. Plan is to work on this in February and March, although we may shift to March and April if need be.

4. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Exceeded this goal, with around 900 words written on my short story "Toll Road." Things are progressing on this one, although it may exceed the expected short story length I was going for when it's finished.

Now, my goals for the coming week (coming up on the end of the month as well):

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.

Weekly Goals - January 21, 2018

Well, running a bit late on providing my weekly progress report. Sadly, things have been hectic in life for a week or two now, and just had time to work up the progress report tonight. Still attempting to meet my January goals. Time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Right around 700 words on this one. Still need to put together a semblance of a plot, but for now, I'm 'freestyling' it, I suppose.

2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Around 1000 words this week.

3. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series. - Met with Lyndon again this week, but we still didn't sit down and hash this out yet.

4. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Completed this goal, with just over 625 words on my short story "Toll Road."

Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series.
4. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.

Weekly Goals - January 14, 2018

Well, now on the second week of the month, and things are slowly progressing toward meeting my January goals. Sadly, between extra work excitement, and things getting back into the regular routine after the holidays, output was a little limited. Time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Right around 800 words on this one. Not great, but better than things had gone over the past year or more. Still need to put together a semblance of a plot.

2. Complete 1750 words on a new Aston West novella. - Didn't even get started on this goal.

3. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Around 1200 words this week. It did take me a few more days than I had anticipated, though.

4. Complete 2500 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. - Didn't even get started on this goal.

5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series. - Met with Lyndon again this week, but we still didn't sit down and hash this out yet.

6. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Completed this goal, with around 700 words on my short story "Toll Road."

Being as how certain goals seem to be languishing, I'm going to do some adjustments for the rest of the month (maybe I'll have a chance to catch up in future months). Now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
3. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series.
4. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.

Weekly Goals - January 7, 2018

Well, it's been almost a week (give or take a few days) since I posted my weekly writing goals geared toward meeting my January goals, so time to recap how things have gone this week.

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn. - Was only able to get down a little over 1500 words on this one, but finished the prologue and am rolling on the first chapter. Still need to put together a semblance of a plot.

2. Complete 1750 words on a new Aston West novella. - Didn't even get started on this goal.

3. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. - Completed this goal, with just over 5000 words. It did take me a few more days than I had anticipated, though.

4. Complete 2500 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. - Didn't even get started on this goal.

5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series. - Met with Lyndon this week, but we didn't sit down and hash this out yet.

6. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.  - Completed this goal, with around 700 words on my short story "Toll Road" (which technically is a story that I'd started a while back. Eventually, I'll need to get back into plotting out some new stories).

And now, my goals for the coming week:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 1750 words on a new Aston West novella.
3. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.
4. Complete 2500 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel.
5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series.
6. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.

January 2018 Writing Goals

So, as I mentioned, I need to get back in the habit of setting goals, and then being held accountable to those goals. Those who've followed me long enough know that I used to do this, and it helped considerably more than whatever it is I'm doing currently.

So, here they are...my writing goals for the month of January:

1. Complete 13,000 words on Before the Dawn. This will require 3250 words per week, or a little over 1000 words per day, writing three days per week.

2. Complete 7,000 words on a new Aston West novella. This will require 1750 words per week, or 850 words per day, if I write two days per week.

3. Complete 20,000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP. This comes up to 5000 words per week, or 1000 words per day if I write five days per week.

4. Complete 10,000 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. This will require 2500 words per week, or 500 words per day if I write five days per week.

5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series.

6. Write 2500 words on a new Aston West short story. This will require 625 words per week, which should be able to be completed in a single day.

So, these goals are a bit sport, especially since I haven't really kept myself in "writing shape" over the past few years. So, let's hope that I can keep things going.

I do plan on addressing my goals weekly, so for simplicity (rather than set up another post), I'll summarize this week's goals here:

1. Complete 3250 words on Before the Dawn.
2. Complete 1750 words on a new Aston West novella.

3. Complete 5000 words on my "Demonkiller" WIP.

4. Complete 2500 words on my sci-fi suspense/mystery novel.

5. Work with Lyndon to plot out the last two novellas in the Max McCannor series.

6. Write 625 words on a new Aston West short story.

Writing Goals for 2018

Well, 2017 wasn't much better than 2016 had been. So, I think some changes in process will likely be needed. So, I plan to get back into the weekly and monthly goal-setting mode that I was in back in the days when I had a bit more productivity. I also need to have a bit more specificity in mind with these, so that I can maintain the focus.

So, here goes:

1. Complete the first draft of my fifth Aston West series novel, Before the Dawn. I plan to finish this by the end of September, so that I can work on edits and hopefully have it out to the public by the end of the year.

2. Complete a third Aston West novella. I would like to have this finished in March, so that I can hopefully get it out in June (maybe in time for Smallville) and tide folks over until the next series novel comes out.

3. Complete the first draft of my in-work "Demonkiller" WIP. Hopefully I'll have an actual title for this soon, but I need to try and finish this by the end of March, so that I can work edits after finishing the MaxMcCannor novellas. My hope is to have this out to the public by the end of May, so that I can have copies available for Smallville in June.

4. Complete the first draft of my in-work sci-fi suspense/mystery novel. I don't anticipate this being finished anytime before the end of December, and will likely be a 2019 release.

5. Finish the final two novellas in the Max McCannor series. Lyn and I have discussed this, and our plan is to plot out the last two novellas in January, then complete the second novella in February and the third in March. Sporty!

6. Write six Aston West short stories. I would like to finish one of these every two months, and hopefully I can get back on track with my triple-shots (my most recent one featuring Sweet Embrace actually came out in 2015, sadly).

All in all, it's going to be a busy year, but I have a bit more confidence that my re-focus on goal-setting will help. Thanks to everyone who's purchased copies of my books, and I'm looking forward to bringing you even more this year.

2017 in Review

Well, things didn't go much better for me in 2017 than they did in 2016. Here's my chance at looking back at 2017 and my goals for the year, and see what I didn't quite accomplish.

So, here goes:

1. Plot out a fifth Aston West series novel and write at least 10,000 words on it.

I came up with a general idea for the fifth novel, preliminarily entitled Before the Dawn. However, I have barely written 500 words on the novel. Hoping to get a better chunk written in 2018.

2. Plot out a third Aston West novella and write at least 10,000 words on it.

Didn't get anything started on this one, even though I do have a third Aston novella out there from years ago that I could finish if I really wanted.

3. Complete the first draft of my in-work "Demonkiller" WIP.

Although I haven't yet completed this novel, I have had the most success with this one. I have just under 40000 words written on this story, and am hoping to be able to finish it up this coming year. One bright spot in an otherwise gloomy year, writing-wise.

4. Complete the first draft of my in-work sci-fi suspense/mystery novel.

I haven't really had a chance to work this one this year, with most of my attention on the "Demonkiller" manuscript. However, I do have around 4500 words written, which is more than I had in all of my Aston work this year. Again, hoping to put some time aside to finish this one in 2018.

5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

Nothing was worked on this one in 2017, but Lyndon and I have spoken, and the hope is to finish up both the second and third installments by March, so...

6. Plot out the final novella in the Max McCannor series.

Same situation as above. Lyndon and I expect to get together in January to come up with our final plotting for this series.

7. Write six Aston West short stories.

Didn't get a single short story written. Another blog post for another time, but my motivation just hasn't been there for writing more Aston stories.

Well, I'm hoping to improve things in 2018. I do think that I need to get back into the habit of setting obtainable writing goals, and then sticking to them. Looking forward to setting out a 2018 goals post in the next day or two.

Testing Theories

So, as an engineer in my day job, it's basically mandatory that I run my life by data and analysis. For example, those who have followed the site here for many years have seen several posts covering sales figures, word count goals/accomplishments, and other such fun. Publishing is a business, so they say, and any business needs facts and figures to pore over.

At the behest of Candice Gilmer, I'm going to be testing out some promotional efforts during the month of December. We'll see how it goes. And then, of course, I'll have to come back and provide some results from the test.

Air Cap Day 2

Well, I was hoping that Sunday's outing at Air Capital Comic-Con would be as good, if not better, than Saturday's. And I was not disappointed.

Actually had more books sold Sunday than Saturday (by one book). Sold 23 books total, which was my best outing of the year. Surprising even myself, I had two people who ended up buying the whole 4-book series. But even so, I sold more copies of Heroes Die Young than anything.

So, Air Cap is now completed, and I look forward to returning next year. My next event is scheduled in February, unless something pops up between now and then.

In the meantime, if you didn't get around to catching me at this event, all of my titles are available at Amazon.

Air Cap Day 1

Sorry for the delay between posts (another post for another day). I'm trying to make a concerted effort to post more frequently, so we'll see how things go.

Yesterday was the first day of Air Capitol Comic-Con, and it was a blast. Always enjoy myself at this local (to me) convention. People really go all out on their costumes, and have a good time. Sales were fairly good, although most came in sporadic bursts through the day.

I always enjoy talking with folks about my books, although many times the conversation is rather formulaic. It seems to me that back in the days when I was first getting started, more people would ask questions like "How do you come up with ideas for your books?" or "How long does it take to write one?" But now, most are content to just glance over the covers, or sometimes pick one up and read the back blurb.

Perhaps this is indicative of our culture in general. My guess on this particular convention is that people just don't have a lot of time, and are trying to cram as much into a single day as possible. And that means not taking time to 'stop and smell the roses,' so to speak.

Or they just don't really find my books (or me) that interesting...

The jury is still out.

Writing Goals for 2017

Well, 2016 was pretty much a bust, as my recent recap more than demonstrated. Hopefully 2017 will bring a bit more motivation and a few more accomplishments than this past year. Not to say that I haven't done *anything* this past year, but most had nothing to do with my Aston West material. Even so, I think a few of these other projects will make it onto the goals for the coming year. And just to make things interesting, I'll add a few extra goals compared to prior years...

So, here goes:

1. Plot out a fifth Aston West series novel and write at least 10,000 words on it.

2. Plot out a third Aston West novella and write at least 10,000 words on it.

3. Complete the first draft of my in-work "Demonkiller" WIP.

4. Complete the first draft of my in-work sci-fi suspense/mystery novel.

5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

6. Plot out the final novella in the Max McCannor series.

7. Write six Aston West short stories.

All in all, it's going to be a busy year. Thanks to everyone who's purchased copies of my books, and I'm looking forward to bringing you even more great stories in the near future.

2016 in Review

I don't imagine I'm going to accomplish anything in the next couple of days to make many changes to these results, so I'm now looking back at 2016 and my goals for the year, and see what it was that I completed...

1. Plot out a fifth Aston West series novel.

I've had a few nibbles of ideas bouncing around in my head, even before I finished All Good Things, but alas, nothing on the plot side. I've actually toyed with the idea of ending the series with this next novel. We'll see what happens this next year.

2. Finish a third Aston West novella.

This did not happen. I do have another novella out there that I'd like to try and finish some day...but I'd also like to be motivated enough to write some new material.

3. Publish my new Aston novel All Good Things.

This was actually one of the few things I did accomplish this year. If you haven't already purchased a copy, please do so (click the cover to head over to Amazon). It's a surprising thing, how motivation and sales are correlated...

4. Publish another Triple-Shot.

Sadly, didn't finish a single short story this year, so didn't get another Triple-Shot out.

5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

Lyndon Perry and I have still not gotten any farther along on this project this year. We still have a few chapters written on the next installment, tentatively titled Runaway, but it hasn't gone anywhere.

***

Sadly, my motivation has been deep in the bottom of the toilet for most of the year. Hopefully, I have a turnaround this coming year...

I should be getting another set of goals put together for 2017 in a day or two.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! And now, with my gift for you, enjoy copies of my first two Aston West novels (Heroes Die Young and Friends in Deed) for free, for a limited time only.

Air Cap Recap

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth at this past weekend's Air Cap Comic-Con. Really enjoyed myself, and so did my table partner, Candice Gilmer. I especially appreciate all the love that was given to the first in my Aston West series, Heroes Die Young! Thank you all!

Air Cap Comic-Con

Had a great time at Air Cap Comic-Con in Wichita, Kansas yesterday. Looking forward to another great day today. If you can't make it out to the event this weekend, you can still pick up copies of my books over on Amazon. Enjoy!