Looking Ahead + 2017 Goals

   *peers suspiciously into the distance* Is that a new year I see on the horizon?

   It's New Year's Eve = exactly six days after Christmas (hard as that is to believe). Does anyone other than me find the week-or-so right after Christmas to be kinda sad?

   People are taking down their Christmas lights, evergreen trees, and festive decorations. All the special things that make up the holiday season seem to disappear almost overnight. We watch our own house be de-Christmassed and put on a brave face - the cozy holiday season is over, and now we have to cope as life goes back to how it was. 

   But, as we approach the first day of 2017, I started to realize something. Life never goes back - life goes on. And there will be all kinds of new surprises in 2017, both good and bad. And I'll be facing them head on, not looking back over my shoulder at the past. Looking ahead seems like a far better idea to me.

   Anyways, enough of my ramblings. 2017 is nearly upon us what even! And I came up with five goals that I'd like to accomplish in 2017 - we'll see how many of them I can actually achieve ;).

1. Read 100 books + read/review one new release each month

   I think I read over 100 books in 2016 (but I didn't really keep track, so who knows xD), but 2017 promises to be a whirlwind, so we'll see if I can get this done. And I'd also like to read + review one book each month that came out in that particular month. Wayfarer is my book for January - I'm excited to start it! (and then come on here and rant about it, that's always a plus *shrugs*)

2. Create a tag and/or linkup + be diligent in my upcoming blog series

   I've always kind of wanted to create a tag/linkup - however, my brain tends to be blank when it comes to ideas, more often than not. But I feel like a bookish or writerly tag/linkup would be a blast *nodnod*. I almost feel like a linkup that has to do with reviewing a new release each month would be kinda neat ... but anyways, onto the second part of that goal. I'm also going to try my best to keep up with the series of posts I'm starting on my blog in Janurary - I having a feeling that it's going to be lots of fun (or I hope so, anyways xD)!   

3. Be more diligent in journaling

   Journaling takes a lot of time - and I'm a fairly lazy goldfish xD (plus, if I'm going to write, why not write a story, instead of writing about my day? *shrugs*) But I'm going to try harder this year because a) it's super helpful to be able to look in my journal and see a month's high points when it comes to writing a Monthly Highlights post and b) it will be fun to look through my journal in a year and see all the epic-ness that happened *nodnod*.

4. Start (and keep up with!) a 2017 memories jar

   I don't even remember where I saw this idea, but I love it -  it's basically where you make a note of anything good that happens during the year and put the notes in the jar. That way you can have a whole jar-ful of memories to look through on New Year's Eve, 2017. I'm awfully excited to try this (and of course I'm dragging my sisters into doing it with me :D)! Plus, if my journaling goal can't be kept, then I'll still have a jar-ful of all the best things that happened is 2017.

5. Write a _____ draft of a novel or novella

   Whether it's a first draft of something new, or a ninth draft of something old, I want to get some form of writing done in 2017. I'm guessing it will either be the fourth draft of Killing Snow (that would be me turning it into a novel), the first draft of The Dreamer's Game, or a zero draft/ first draft of something entirely different. Or all of those things at once. I've got 365 days - there will be plenty of time xD.    

   *blinks at the goals* So ... they look just a tad daunting all lined up like that. But I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with all of them.

   I hope 2016 was amazing for you, and here's praying that 2017 will be even better! Have a blessed year, my friends!

~ Savannah Grace

What's a goal you have for 2017?