Well, here we are in 2018. A bright and shiny new year, in all its perfect, gleaming glory. Who knows what the year will hold? Who knows what possibilities will reveal themselves, and what disappointments will eventually emerge?

As usual, as the year begins, I think about what I’d like to achieve. I’m not really one for resolutions. And I certainly don’t gnash my teeth and flog myself if I don’t attain the things I originally planned for. But I do like to give myself some goals. It helps to give my life some structure, some solid objectives I can work towards. If I achieve them, that’s great. If not, well hopefully there’ll be another year to continue moving forward. So, without any further ado, here are my goals for 2018.

1. Complete a first draft for the new novel. You know the one, the comedy/fantasy/adventure/satire/romance. I’m pretty confident of this one. My word tally for the end of last year sat at just over 75K which is definitely most of the way there. Sure, there’ll still be a lot of work – this is possibly the roughest first draft I’ve ever done, and believe me, my first drafts are usually rough. There’ll be a heap of rewriting required. But getting that first draft under my belt will feel like a great achievement.

2. Finally release the picture book Bella and the Blue Genie. This one feels like it’s been sitting on my yearly goals forever. This time, I’m really confident that it will be achieved.

3. Another picture book. Will depend on how quickly we can get Bella out there. Given my track record with picture books, it may seem like a longshot, but I like to veer on the side of optimism.

4. Another picture book manuscript. Usually, I like to set a goal of two new picture book manuscripts in a year, but this year I’ve decided to bring it down to one. The reason for this is explained by the next goal.

5. The STEM project. I’m looking at developing a children’s book series based on STEM themes (science, technology, engineering and maths, for those not in the know). Given where things are at in the world at the moment, I really believe increasing engagement in these areas is vitally important, and what better stage to begin than childhood. I have no idea what format they will be – maybe picture books or maybe chapter books. I haven’t decided on a target age range. Hopefully, I’ll work these out as I move forward with the idea.

6. Just generally be less stressed and more happy. I know, I tried this last year and it didn’t work. But as I said, I’m an optimist, so I’m ready to give it another go.

So, these are my goals for 2018. Hope whatever goals you set for yourself also bear fruit. Have a great 2018.