December is flying by.

I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas, but December is full of holiday celebrations around the world, we have Hanukkah, Yule, Bodhi Day to name just a few.

I love this time of year, and not just because I am a winter girl at heart (despite the fact I hate being cold), there is just something about this time of year that often makes me smile, whether it be down the lingering magical feeling that I always associated with Christmas as a kid, pretty lights, hearty winter food, or whether it just the spirit of the holiday times.

Its also the month where I really stop and think about my plans for the next year. This December is no different, even though I am busy working on the final 8 chapters of Draft 3 of Shelter Me From Darkness so I can get it send over to my editor by the end of the week, I am already planning for next year.

I have so many plans, probably more than I will ever get done, but a girl can dream.

In truth though next year is going to be an exciting year, and the year I plan to release my debut novel – Shelter Me From Darkness.

But not only do I plan to release my debut novel, I also plan to release a prequel Novella – A Pledge in Blood via my subscription and newsletter for free.

And I have a secret project that I have committed to as well.

Three projects that need to happen next year no matter what.

On top of that, I want to start writing Book 2 of the Shelter Me Trilogy in preparation for a 2025 release (it feels strange even thinking that far ahead) as well as potentially writing the first draft of Book 3 this year, and another story that I want to write for Ream that I will release 1 chapter a week.

That is essentially – 6 projects.

I will be the first to admit that I am a chaotic, scatterbrain mess, 90% of the time and my plans go quickly out of the window. A mix of health conditions and medication induced brain fog doesn’t help either. I can plan to my heart’s content, but I also need to be realistic in my expectations. If this year has taught me anything is that my health and chronic illness matter, and throw more curveballs at me than I know what to do with.

I need to find a balance, and find a way that I can stay on track without getting overwhelmed, burning myself out, or making myself ill. Not only that, but I also still need a chance to refuel.

I have been using the HB90 system to plan for the last couple of years and will continue to use it again this year, but I plan to use it far more effectively than I have in the past. I don’t want to over plan, but I need to be mindful of my time management, avoiding hours of scrolling through social media, and give myself the breaks I need.

The first quarter of 2024 is going to be about building habits for me, getting into the routine of writing 5/7 days a week, and aiming for 5000 words a week. It might seem like a lot to some and not enough for other, but factoring in buffer days out of 90 days I am left with 50 days to write.

If I wrote 1,000 words every day for those 50 days, I will have written 50,000 words for the first quarter of the year.

My prequel Novella goal is 25,000 words.

My secret project is 15,000 words.

I could get the first draft for both done, have the breaks I need to refuel, and have time for editing Shelter Me From Darkness when I get it back from my editor. As long as I am smart about my time and how I spend it by making the effort to keep myself to a structured routine when it comes to my writing and author.

I’m not going to be perfect for the first quarter of 2024, but if I can focus on building that routine in those 90 days, then the rest of the year would be set up for a good continuation.