Wow! The best-laid plans of mice and men. Of authors and bloggers, too. My year took a couple of left turns in 2013, or should I say “write” turns?

Here are my goals for 2013, posted January 4.

As is my now-annual custom, I will pause while you laugh.

Here’s what I planned to accomplish in 2013 and, in brackets, what I actually did.

Writing Goals
1. Prepare 2-3 proposals: After a great deal of prayer, I decided to stop trying to sell by proposal. Too much stress! This meant I also let my agent go in March.
2. Write 1-2 novels: I did not do this.
3. Write 1-2 novellas: I wrote most of one 40K novella, or half a novel.
4. Revise 1-3 works of fiction: I revised 2 novels: Petals and Pedals, and Wild Mint Tea.

Business Goals
1. Continue to promote Rainbow’s End: I did this, to some degree.
2. Create selfpublishing imprint: Did not get to this.
3. Write and edit 2-3 nonfiction ebooks and upload for sale: I have written 40K for To Write a Story but have not yet created the ebook.
4. Produce God’s Green Acres monthly: WooHoo! I did this.
5. Blog twice a week: I did this. One post a week on my main blog and one post a week at To Write a Story (which isn’t what I meant by the goal, as I hadn’t even thought of starting the second blog in January!).

Community Goals
1. Critiques as requested by my CPs: “As requested” meant none this year!
2. Mentor and teach as opportunities arise: Yep.

Health Goals
1. Head toward a 90% Paleo diet: We ended up more like 50-60%.
2. Work out regularly: Sigh. For parts of the year, I was very good at this. But not through the summer and fall.

Upcoming Highlights
1. Teach at Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference (March): Yes.
2. Maui for niece’s wedding (May): No. A new car took precedence.
3. ACFW conference in Indianapolis (September): No. See above.

So what did I really do in 2013?

The big ones:

1. Began working as affiliate manager for Holly Lisle in April for her How to Think Sideways course for writers. (It’s excellent, by the way!)

2. Launched a FREE writing course and website/blog May 1 at To Write a Story.

3. Signed a 3-book contract for my Farm Fresh Romance series May 22.

4. Launched Raspberries and Vinegar on August 1.

5. Began working for Choose NOW Publishing in media/marketing in August.

6. Signed a contract with Angela Breidenbach for a 2-novella Christmas duo, Snowflake Tiara, to release in 2014.

7. Edited Wild Mint Tea and turned it in in October.

8. Wrote most my novella in November/December…still have a bit to go in January.

Looking at the year by what I did do accomplish makes me feel less like laughing hysterically than focusing on what I did not do!

How about you? Did you post public goals 51 weeks ago? How did you do?