Insecure Writer's Support Group: I love it when a plan comes together

Since I was mostly focused on declaring war in January, I really didn't get to think much about my goals for 2026. It didn't help that I was exhausted already. I had 3 days off from the day job and two of those days I spent about 2-3 hours each shoveling snow. On top of it I had a sick husband.

Not a relaxing way to start the year.

When I wrote that post, I knew there would be a chance I'd be working two jobs again this year. Two day jobs really took a lot out of me last year, and I fell behind on a lot of things as a result. I knew I couldn't let that happen again, so I've been formulating a battle plan.

First, I picked three books I have ready to publish. MLK Jr Day I had a three day weekend and not a lot of snow, so I devoted time to keyword research, checking the files were correct, uploading, and even scheduling a pre-order.

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Side note: That book, Balance of Love, released yesterday. It's a novella, so it won't consume your entire day. (Is that a problem anyone else has? I struggle with full length novels because I will read it in one sitting and that usually means my entire day is spent reading.)

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Next, I did some quick searching for monster hunting topics for my newsletters and bookmarked stuff that looked relevant so I could research more later. Since hubby got sick, we didn't go to my family's late Christmas get together, so I had an unexpected weekend off that allowed me to get a few monsters researched and posts written already.

Another thing I didn't get around to last year were newsletter swaps. I just wasn't sure if I could write something new for it. This time, I'm looking at what I already have written and choosing something related to who I want to swap with so I don't have to worry about getting something written. It's already done. I just need to make a little media kit and send it to them.

One last thing is more cross promoting to social media. I have graphics made for monster hunting, but I fell off posting in 2025 because, you guessed it, day jobs and exhaustion. Since I have graphics done, I'm going to use Buffer and schedule out as far as they will let me in the hopes I'll only have to worry about it a handful of times. This is going to be a nice to have but not required as the above are more important to get done. If I have energy left over, I'll squeeze some in, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

Already, I can say I am happy with what I got accomplished in January. Especially the books. I was really disappointed with myself for only getting A Quick Myth published.

But I also had a lot working against me and was flying by the seat of my pants. Now, that I know I can get through a year like that and the effects it has on me, I can plan around those things in 2026 and get what I want accomplished done.

Today's post was part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. 

Created by the ninja captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh, it's a group for writers struggling with writing insecurity (AKA all of us) to gather and discuss their fears or to celebrate writing victories. If you are a struggling writer or need encouragement and friendship, join us. (Someone might have cookies!)

Remember to visit the co-hosts and give them a shout-out for helping. J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox!