First off, I hope you’ll join me tomorrow when I’ll be guest on the Romance Chicks Facebook group from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, 11-8 for you East coasters.

This quiet time between Christmas and New Year’s is perfect for introspection. Each year, I peek into old journals to see what changes time hath wrought. While cleaning up my former blog, I found last December’s post, inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast. Rubin suggested setting eighteen goals for 2018—not the usual vague resolutions, so quickly abandoned, but rather smaller, concrete, achievable goals.

Here are mine, written last December, and the results.

1. Write another romance novel. Done, sent to the publisher, working on first-round edits now.
2. Write another mystery novel. Nope. 2018 was all about romance.
3. Read and review books by at least six new-to-me romance authors, six new mystery authors, and six new women’s fiction authors. Make that 23 romances reviewed, 3 mysteries, and 2 women’s fiction novels, plus a few non-fiction books.
4. Attend one big writing conference. Two! RWA Nationals in July and the Greater Seattle RWA’s Emerald City Writers’ Conference in September.
5. Take guitar lessons. Nope. After a year of noodling on my own, I’m better at playing chords, but that’s it. Try again in 2019.
6. Take ballroom dance lessons. I’m back in belly dance class, but no ballroom classes. Try again in 2019.
7. Take golf lessons. Nope. Try again in 2019.
8. Incorporate more exercise into my writing hours. Mediocre results. I bought a standing desk, which has helped increase my daily movement.
9. Acquire or make 18 snazzy garments, clothes I could wear to a book signing. Dump 18 seldom-worn garments. Not so much. I bought a few new things for the writers’ conferences.
10. Publish a blog post each week. 39 total on my blog, plus another 10 guest appearances on other writers’ blogs. Not too shabby.
11. Set up my author webpage. Yes
12. Get a professional author photo. Yes
13. Do online Spanish lessons at least three times per week. Lo dejé. I gave up.
14. Use the gym at least three times per week. Quit the expensive gym in July. Results on the new, cheaper gym are mixed.
15. Stretch every day. Major fail.
16. At least fifteen minutes of real conversation with Hubs every day. Talking about logistics and daily tasks doesn’t count. B+
17. Query my recently-completed mystery. Nope. Despite finalling in the RWA Daphne Competition for Romantic Suspense, that manuscript is still moldering. It just doesn’t make sense to query book two in a series before polishing up book one, which needs a major rewrite. Someday.
18. Explore the Pacific Northwest. C-. I’ve visited Eugene, Ashland, and Baker City in Oregon, but most of my own state remains unexplored territory. I did make it to Snoqualmie Falls—magnificent!

A recent episode of Happier podcast suggested a different strategy for 2019: Select a one-word theme to focus your efforts for the new year. I like this one much better! My focus for 2019 is Health.

While 2018 was a great year for me professionally–I published a book! Have I mentioned that?—it was not a great year for my physical condition. All that writing, editing, and promoting involved very little movement, and I find myself weaker, softer, and larger. So. No specific goals this year, certainly not 19 of them, but I’m doing my best to focus on my health every day. As soon as I post this, I’m off to the cheap gym.

What about you? Do you bother with New Year’s resolutions of any sort? Would the one-word focus work for you in 2019? What would your one word be? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Whatever your plans, may 2019 bring you peace, joy, good health, good fun, and lots of love.