2021 || goals + plans

I’ve never seriously made a list of “resolutions” before, but I do think it’s going to be very helpful to have a list, and publishing it online means ACCOUNTABILITY which is helpful for me. (Capital letters are present today… I’m not sure why.)

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writing

➽ FINISH WRITING REMNANT (+ maybe send to alphas?). I’ve been working on this book for 7 years and I am so ready to be done with it! This goal also seems pretty doable since I’ve been getting back into the habit of writing regularly.

➽ START WRITING PARADISE. This is the sequel to Remnant and I’ve been planning/plotting it for years as well.

source || shallan davar has nothing to do with my writing, but who cares, she’s awesome

➽ WRITE A LOT ON AT LEAST ONE OTHER PROJECT. The four I’m thinking of that I’d like to return to are The Ancient Song (Fiddler on the Roof retelling; 50k from NaNo 2019), Secrets (Secret Garden retelling that I just started), Darius Raven (high fantasy with a few thousand words from Camp NaNo April 2020), and You Are My Sunshine (contemporary fantasy with a few handwritten chapters from years ago). I don’t know which I’ll focus on (maybe all four!) but I like to have something to write on when I need a break from Remnant, and I’m tired of having so many unfinished projects.

➽ WRITE 1K/DAY, 4 DAYS/WEEK. I would love to write more than that but I don’t know how much motivation I’ll have.

➽ WRITE MORE POETRY. A vague goal so I can vaguely decide if I completed it or not!! I’m thinking of doing Inktober with poems again (a goal I miserably failed in 2020) or maybe do one poem a day for all of the summer. We’ll see. (Also, I would like to write some songs, if I ever have inspiration for that.)

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➽ LOOK INTO REALM MAKERS AND HUTCHMOOT. Another vague goal, but attending these conferences is one of my biggest dreams I want to work toward. I’m thinking Realm Makers is more doable because it’s in the summer so it won’t conflict with college, but it’s very expensive and very far away (and who knows if it’s even going to be in person this year anyway)… my dream would be to go in 2022, I think.

➽ SUBMIT WORK ONLINE AT LEAST 3 TIMES. I wanted to do this more in 2020, but I didn’t. Currently I’m looking at Story Embers and Havok (and Enclave… but first I’d have to have a polished novel, which I do not).

➽ KEEP BLOGGING. I don’t know what that will look like, especially as I go to college (and maybe join some social media later this year), but I do want to keep it up. Will I go back to having just one blog? Will I switch to mainly writing on this one? Or the other one? I honestly have no idea, but I love this too much to stop. (:

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other goals

➽ BE MORE ACTIVE. Unfortunately most of my hobbies and pursuits involve sitting down (writing, reading, etc.) and I need to get into the habit of taking walks, exercising, stretching, etc. This goal is pretty vague; I’m thinking maybe trying to do something active 6 days a week?

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➽ EAT (MORE) HEALTHILY. I’m planning to try the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan with my mom sometime in January or February (and learn how to tell S and E apart for myself!) so that when I head off to college in the fall, I have a better grasp of how to eat well and what different types of food are good for. I also want to eat more whole foods.

➽ READ THE BIBLE 5 DAYS A WEEK (+ pray and maybe journal each time). I’ve really fallen out of the habit of doing this ☹

➽ IN GENERAL, JUST PRAY MORE. Again, vague, but I’ll say I did this if I remember to pray for little things now and then. Because, y’know, I’m pretty good at “aghh my life is awful help God help” on the worst days, but I forget things like “thanks for the sunrise” and “please help me write well today” and that kind of thing.

➽ READ 100 BOOKS (20 NONFICTION). Pretty self-explanatory 😉 I read over 140 in 2020 but a lot of those were random, compulsive rereads, and only a few were nonfiction.

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➽ KEEP UP WITH MY PEN PALS AND ONLINE FRIENDS. I fell massively behind in my letter-writing in the fall of 2020, and am only now starting to catch up. I also feel that I have *so many* online friends now that I keep forgetting which ones I should be talking to… I’ve met people via Story Embers, YWW, my online schools, blogging, etc. and I talk to them via email, texting, FaceTime, Marco Polo, and WordPress and it’s sort of overwhelming, so a part of this goal is figuring out how to manage all that.

➽ MAKE NEW FRIENDS (and keep the old ones). I only have a few friends who live near me (*waves to the ones reading this*) and I absolutely intend to stick with them even though we’re all growing up and going to college/ getting jobs/dating/etc. But I also want to make new ones at college, and I’m praying for God to give me strength to get past my social anxiety and general awkwardness/geekiness to make real, valuable connections.

➽ PLAY THE PIANO AND SING MORE (and maybe some acting?). Aha! Another vague goal! I stopped taking lessons a year ago but I would like to play some piano songs again (other than the hymns I sightread randomly once a week or so) and also continue to practice singing. It would also be great to memorize some Shakespeare (or even just a poem) and practice acting… I want to be involved in theatre again someday, but there aren’t really any options in my area right now due to shutdowns.

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plans

*rubs hands together* 2021 is going to be a really fun year for me, I think.

➽ GET A JOB! A real, actual job that’s not babysitting! I keep putting this off and (luckily) it looks like that decision is not going to badly affect me in the future, IF I get one soon. So. This is really important.

➽ GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL! This will happen sometime in June and I am very excited. Also, HAVE A GRAD PARTY (somewhat exciting?)!

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➽ GO TO FAMILY CAMP! Ahh I am so excited for this! We missed two years in a row (one was a choice, but then it was canceled in 2020) and I miss it so much. Also, I might see if I can volunteer to be a counselor for one or two weeks right after our stay.

➽ START COLLEGE! I am really really looking forward to this. I move in sometime in mid-August. Moving is going to be a combination of sadness and ecstatic glee (but I’ll only be a couple hours from home, which is nice).

➽ (MAYBE) MEET SOME ONLINE FRIENDS. This is more of a dream than a hope, but… I really want it to happen. I met my friend Liesl last summer (which was amazing), and I have another friend who’s also in Michigan that I might meet this spring. Everyone else lives depressingly far away (California, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, etc.) but maybe something will surprise me? I doubt it but I’ll pray for it. Also, I believe two or three people I’ve met via my online school are going to the same college as me, AND a former Latin teacher’s husband is going to be a professor there, so I’m going to meet them!

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virtus tentamine gaudet

I know some people like to pick a word or quote for the year. I wasn’t going to, but then I realized that… this would be it anyway. So. Virtus tentamine gaudet, which is usually translated “strength rejoices in the challenge” but is more literally “courage/virtue rejoices in/through trying,” is the motto of my future home (aka college) and something I struggle to live out in my everyday life. (I found this hilarious post by a former student in which she talks about how people use it ironically: “I’m dying with schoolwork, I haven’t seen my family in months, and my dog died.” “Well, virtus tentamine gaudet! *fake smile*”)

Despite the possible sarcasm, though… this is really important to me. I want to be a good adult. I want to be a valuable citizen who understands my rights and contributes to society. I want to live well, love generously, and die satisfied. But all of that starts right here, right now, with my last few months of high school, and my four years of college.

Rejoicing through my struggles is hard, but it will make me better, more Christ-like, hopefully well equipped to serve others and forget my insufficiency and sin. ALSO, there is NO way I’m getting through all these classes without some joy, y’all.

I will rejoice in these challenges.

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And… that concludes this post. I think those are enough goals for one year 😅 If I remember, I’ll come back and talk about if I did all these things in December 2021.

What are your 2021 plans/goals/dreams? How was your New Year’s Eve/Day?

until next time, stay sane, and remember Who bought you. || maya