S. W. Raine

Well, here we are again. We have the end of the year, a fresh 2025 writing plan, and a very stubborn writer staring down a mountain of goals with a mix of determination and mischief.

Before we jump into my 2025 writing plan, let’s take a quick look at where I’ve been.

2024 Goal Review: The Good, The Tough, and The Unexpected

2024 was… a lot. Some goals made it across the finish line, some stumbled halfway, and others just kind of… hung out in the background eating snacks or something. But progress is progress, and there’s plenty to celebrate. So let’s break it down:

Publishing Goals:

– Project Elementals 2 isn’t out in the world yet. Editing has been moving slower than molasses in January (it’s a real thing, check it out!). The feedback changes are small but many, and staring at them all at once was downright overwhelming. Progress paused in November for my annual writing challenge, then again in December for a client proofread, but I’m nothing if not stubborn.
– Project Elementals 3 got a full rewrite of its zero draft. And after all the changes Book 2 needed, it’s clear Book 3 is going to need another rewrite too. Yay, clarity?
– The hardcover of The Elemental’s Guardian stayed on the back burner. Finding a good bonus chapter that newsletter subscribers haven’t already seen was tricky, and honestly, other projects kept cutting in line.
– The audiobook of The Techno Mage didn’t happen—turns out, audiobooks aren’t cheap.

Distribution Goals:

– Did I get my books into a library? Nope. Did I try? Also nope. This one slipped right off my radar.
– Two more bookstores? No as well. I know exactly which ones to ask, but fear and shyness kept me from making the leap. It’s on me, and I know it.

Event Goals:

This goal? I absolutely crushed it. The goal was six in-person events, and I ended up doing 17. I sold almost 100 books at in-person events alone, which feels pretty darn good.

Creative Expansion Goals:

Article writing? No. Travel blog writing? Also no—though I did spend plenty of time daydreaming about it. But I did dive deep into research on video game writing and found a niche called interactive fiction. And let me tell you, I’m excited about it.

Bonus Wins:

– I took a ton of classes this year on advertising, marketing, author business, and writing craft. It felt good to learn new things to better myself and my author career.
– The Techno Mage is officially translated into French! It just needs a thorough proofread before its 5th-anniversary release.
– I wrote the zero draft of Project Spin-Off 2 (book two in the Adventures of Captain Keenan series).
– I passed my income goal for the year by almost $1,000.
– And for the third year in a row, I made book sales every single month. That consistency feels pretty amazing.

2024 didn’t go exactly as planned (do the years ever?), but I’m proud of what I accomplished. Every little step forward still counts, and at least I kept moving.

2025: The Year of Focus and (Hopefully) Progress

I’m walking into 2025 with some pretty huge goals. But I’m also trying to be kinder to myself about how I achieve them. I already knew burnout is real, but if 2024 taught me anything, it’s that task paralysis is no joke.

Publishing Goals:

– Publish Project Elementals 2 (for real this time, pinky promise).
– Get Project Spin-Off 2 as close to publication as possible.
– Write a new newsletter subscription freebie.
– Get The Techno Mage French translation proofread and published for its 5th anniversary.
– Get my choose-your-own-steampunk-adventure book as close to publication as possible.

Distribution Goals:

– Get my books into 1 library.
– Get my books into 2 more bookstores.

Event Goals:

– Attend at least 3 large in-person bookish events.

Creative Expansion Goals:

– Start writing rough drafts for interactive fiction/video game projects.

That’s a lot, right? But if there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I’m stubborn, and I love this work too much to stop now.

Mindset for 2025

The past few years have been heavy—burnout, focus struggles, and the endless juggling of creative projects and real life. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s surviving. I’ll keep experimenting with new productivity techniques, keep stubbornly chipping away at my goals, and—most importantly—keep reminding myself that progress is still progress, even if it’s slow.

As I tackle my 2025 writing plan, I’m focusing on progress over perfection and leaning into curiosity.

There’s also a spark of something new this year.

Mischief.

Adventure.

A little voice saying, What if you did something wild? What if you let curiosity lead the way?

So here’s to a year of stubborn progress, bold experiments, and finding joy in the journey.

What About You? Do you have any big goals for 2025? Any exciting plans, daring adventures, or mischievous ideas you’re dreaming up? Drop them in the comments. I’d love to hear about them!

Stay safe, stay magical, and let’s make 2025 a good one.

Raine