Tuesday, 1 January 2013

2013 Challenges and Goals

A new year, a new reading challenge!

Each year, I take part in the 50 Book Challenge on shelfari.com. In 2010 and 2011, I beat my 60 and 70 book challenges. Last year, I didn't do as well:

77 out of 80

So close! If I had spent a little less time playing Call of Duty and Skyrim, I'm sure I would have beaten it. (Bad Wondra!)

If I was wise, I'd probably just stick to 80 again this year... Or maybe 85 so I'd have a small challenge.

But I am not that wise. This year, my goal is 90 books - which makes me laugh because it works out to be seven and a half books a month and, well, seven.

I'm also setting myself a blogging goal. I want to get into the habit of blogging every day - including A Song for Sunday and monthly blog swaps with Jess at a shimmering star - but since I came NOWHERE NEAR blogging every day last year (with the same goal) I think I'd better start a bit smaller.

So my blogging goal for 2013 is to blog at least five times a week. That'll be 260 posts in total and gives me two I-can't-be-fucking-bothered days a week. I think that's doable.

Let's talk about my writing goals for the new year...

You may remember from a previous post that I intend to write 30 short stories this year. I think that's possible. I don't care if they're fanfiction, erotica, or just normal shorts - so long as they get written. I might need some poking and prodding along the way so feel free to nag!

There's also the challenge every writer has every year: get published! Well, I'll be working on that too...

And, finally, in the same post I challenged myself to try 30 new foods this year. I'm kind of a picky eater (surprisingly, looking at me) and I don't like to try new foods. But this year, I'm going to change that! I'm going to be adventurous and seek out foods I wouldn't have tried in the past.

Send your recipes this way! :)

Those are my challenges and goals for 2013. You'll notice I didn't use the word "resolutions" once. I don't lie the word, it has too many negative connotations. People feel just lousy when they've failed to keep one (normally by the end of January) so why bother even making them? So they can punish themselves for doing the things that they like.

No thanks.

I'm going to keep on doing the things I love and just try harder to do them a bit more.