I’m not that fond of new resolutions. I feel like, sometimes, they put a sort of unwanted pressure on us and just makes us want to stay in bed and do nothing for an entire year.
Yet, I also like seeing where I was last year and where I am now and, somehow, seeing that there was some kind of growth, progress, evolution, too. It seems to have become a sort of a tradition here, on the blog and I really want to keep it.
So today, I’m here to talk about blogging, reading, writing and my own 2019 expectations, as well as my 2020, small, big, hopefully realistic, ambitions…. so let’s get started!
If you’re curious about my 2019 resolutions post, you can read it right here!
? My blogging resolutions in 2019: how did I do?
1. Starting guest posts maybe from community members (would you be interested?), special blog post series on themes that matter to me maybe.
❌ I kind of failed at that, but… to be fair, I had no set idea in mind and didn’t really have, or take the time to brainstorm about this.
2. Join the discussion challenge.
✅ I did this! I’m pretty proud and happy that I managed to keep up the discussion challenge again this past year and had fun coming up with both bookish and blogging discussions all year round. They’re still some of my favorite posts to write. I’m happy that my inner Lorelai did pretty well on that one.
3. Try different things: I would love to try different kind of blog posts, to showcast books and their authors more somehow. I don’t know, I’m brainstorming.
✅ I managed to host author interviews all year long on the blog and had so much fun with it all! I loved talking with authors and introducing their books to the world. Mission accomplished!
I had some of my favorite interviews with Ronni Davis (When The Stars Lead To You), Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (If I’m Being Honest), Laura Taylor Namey (The Library of Lost Things), Katy Upperman (How The Light Gets In)….
4. I also want and hope to do more collaborative posts with my sister (currently a once-a-month co-blogger here)!
✅ I feel like we did a little more blog posts together than we previously did and I’m really happy about it, yay!
5. Continue to blog hop and comment a lot and discover new blogs and spread the love all year long.
❌ I’m writing it down as a fail, because I’ve been slacking a whole damn lot in that area ever since august-september came around. I want to believe I still tried my best to spread the love, I really really hope I did, but I didn’t comment and blog hop as much as I used to. I feel terrible about it, but I also can’t do it all anymore, realistically.
6. RELAX! ABOUT! BLOGGING! I just need to do better with that and CHILL.
✅❌ Yeah… I have a mixed opinion about that. I kind of did better, because I skipped some usual posting days and I’m freaking out a little less about it, even if sometimes I still am and feel disappointed about it.
? My blogging resolutions for 2020
I feel like keeping it on the down low, when it comes to blogging resolutions. I had ambitions and ideas last year and these are lovely, but realistically and if I want to keep my sanity, I know I reasonably can’t do as much as I did before without burning out really hard, so… let’s keep it simple here.
- Join the discussion challenge – yes, again. The Discussion Challenge is hosted by Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight and Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction. I’m not sure of which goal I’ll be aiming to reach, maybe the biggest one, if I’m feeling inspired by… no pressure.
- JUST RELAX OKAY.
? My reading resolutions in 2019: how did I do?
1. Read 70 books. Let’s be crazy and aim high?
✅ I! DID! THIS! I’m really happy to say I managed to read more books than I ever did in 2019, still don’t know how that happened, but really happy about it.
2. Continue reading diverse and #ownvoices books and boost them.
✅ I read some incredible diverse and #ownvoices books this past year and I reviewed almost every single one of them, yay!
Some of my favorite reads were I Wanna Be Where You Are (Kristina Forest), You Asked For Perfect (Laura Silverman), We Set The Dark On Fire (Tehlor Kay Mejia)….
3. Be! Better! With! The! Hype! (a.k.a know to avoid it when you should)
✅❌ Well… giving myself half of a good mark, because I TRIED okay.
4. Continue being contemporary trash and make everyone a contemporary fluff ball like me.
✅ I’m not sure about the second part of that resolution… Did I convert anyone into a contemporary fluff ball?? RAISE YOUR HANDS please? I did read like, 90% contemporaries or more this year, so…. I kind of succeeded.
5. Try to finish reading some series I started in… well, 2017. Overall do better with series? (This Savage Song, The Young Elites, Legend, An Ember in the Ashes etc.)
❌ Awkward laughter here, please. I still suck really, really badly at series and…. I read ONE sequel this year. Oops.
6. Read and get more books as ebooks (a.k.a resist the appeal of physical copies when I can get ebooks). Now. That might be kind of hard.
❌ I’m not certain I got a whole lot of ebooks this year….. so that’s a fail.
7. Beat The Backlist : without officially joining, I want to read backlist titles and try to focus on them as much as I do on new releases.
❌ I really, really focused and read way more new releases than I read backlist titles and…. well, I failed.
8. Read 10 books for the YARC2019 challenge.
✅ This was sort of a late addition to my new years’ reading resolutions, as I decided to participate in the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge a little later last January, but it still counts! For a person not at ease with reading challenges, I still wanted to participate in that one, since it was so low key and I could set my own goal.
I am thrilled to say that I DID IT! I managed to read 10 books by Asian authors and I’m SO happy about this.
? My reading resolutions for 2020
- Read 70 books : let’s aim high again and hope for the best.
- Continue reading diversely and boosting diverse reads and voices : always.
- TRY and really finish these damn series I started, especially AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, THE READER, THIS MORTAL COIL, MARA DYER, THE BOOK OF DUST, IMPOSTORS. I’m being too hopeful here, wow.
- Just read whatever the heck I want to read and that’s it : meaning, trying not to get too swept up by the hype and new releases again and read without pressure. #goals
? My writing resolutions in 2019: how did I do?
1. Finish editing my current WIP (and maybe send it to beta readers)
✅ I actually did BOTH OF THESE THINGS???? I think that’s the resolution I’m the most proud of, okay. I finished my draft 3 of my WIP in the first half of the year and sent it to a couple of beta readers early this year, just as well. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, writing wise, seeking out beta readers and hearing what they thought and their feedback and positive, hopeful thoughts about this story of my heart made me feel hopeful.
2. Brainstorm and maybe write another story
✅ I DID THAT TOO!!! I’m really happy about that, too, getting into a brand new story even though I hadn’t done that in years. It’s a messy first draft, but it’s here.
In case you’re any curious…. well, it’s still too early to tell about it all (and I’m too nervous to talk about my WIPs anyway), so I will just tell you this: it’s about sisters, there is traveling and a whole lot of anxious mess, basically.
3. Bribe my sister into co-writing a WIP with, drumrolls, sisters as a dual POV. I HAVE IDEAS.
❌ I did not do that. NYX WHERE ARE YOU I HAVE IDEAS.
4. Try to write on a regular basis again.
✅ I’d like to think I did my best with that resolution, so let’s check it, okay. I didn’t write on a daily basis, but I did my best to meet my characters at least once a week, even if it was just to stare at them blankly and waiting for them to write the words for me.
? My writing resolutions for 2020
- Finish draft 4 of the WIP : and then maybe send it to beta readers again? QUERY???? I don’t know?????
- Maybe try to edit my other contemporary sisters WIP : I mean, a massive maybe right here because editing is hell.
- Or try to get to write another story, maybe someday sometime ?
- Write on a regular basis : my main goal and writing resolution is to focus and give priority to my writing more.
? My personal resolutions for 2019: how did I do?
1. I obviously want to travel more and obviously just want to be happy and take better care of myself.
✅❌ It’s half good here, I guess. I did travel this past year and discovered and fell in love with new and old places. I went to three different countries (England, Croatia, Canada) and did the usual 562 km across France about 5 times, too. I guess I tried to take better care of myself, but I know I still need to do way better.
Read more about my trip to Croatia, my trip to Toronto & Montréal and my Harry Potter Tour Experience!
? My personal resolutions for 2020
- Travel, travel, travel : forever and always, as much as time and money allows me to.
- SELF-F***ING CARE. That’s all.
Are you making any new, old, keeping some resolutions this year?
What are some of your resolutions for 2020, reading, blogging, writing or personally? Also… do you have any self-care tips for me?? I’d love to know in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin ‘☂️ Support the blog
I’ve set myself some pretty unreasonably huge writing and blogging resolutions for 2020, myself. 4 blogs a day (so far, that’s doing okay), 1 poem a day (on track so far, although the poem are awful – hopefully I’ll get better), 1 short story and short film script a week (doing okay so far), and writing a play, book and screenplay once a month – so far only the book has been started, and that’s less than 1,000 words long so far! It’s good to have goals, and even if you achieve half of the things you set out to do then that’s a bonus. Good luck with your goals!
WOW these are incredible goals! I hope you can achieve them all, wishing you the best of luck!! 🙂
Oooh the discussion challenge sounds so fun!! I’ll definitely have to check it out. Congrats on reaching so many goals!! <3
Ahh I hope you will and will have fun with it, it’s such a great one 🙂
Thank you so much, Holly!
I fully support and will join you with your goals of relaxing and being contemporary trash. Very worthy goals. Good luck with all your resolutions and goals!
YAY! I hope we can both relax a bit more this year 🙂 thank you so much! <3
You did pretty good ! That’s so many goals you set for yourself ! I hope you make most of them ?
Thank you so, so much, Jade, let’s hope so 🙂
Wow, you’ve had a pretty amazing year! Is your WIP in French? It looks so great, I love story about sisters 🙂 In 2019 I beta read a book in french for a friend who’s trying to get it published, if you want to/need to, I’d be happy to beta read yours 🙂 Here’s to a great 0220 <3
Thank you so much Laurie! 🙂 No, my WIPs are both in English! Thank you so much for the proposal, that’s so sweet of you! If you do read in English too, I’ll keep you in mind for sure 😀
I hope you’ll have a wonderful year! <3
It’s okay, if you need me, I can read them in English as well since I mostly read in English anyways 🙂 wonderful year to you too!
Ahh that’s good to know, thank you!! I’ll keep it in mind for sure when this new draft is done 🙂
I’m doing the discussion challenge too! I’ve done it every year since it started. I failed last year because I took the summer off blogging. Good luck with your 2020 goals!
YAY! The discussion challenge is so much fun to do, I hope you’ll succeed again this year! 😀 thank you!!
Totally agree about resolutions and the pressure to keep them. I think it is the reason why I’ve stopped making fixed resolutions as a rule. I tend to stick to goals instead and a couple of mine are to write more regularly, not give up on what I’m writing, and not listen to hype!! I always like listening to recommendations but caving to hype leaves a bitter taste at least 90 percent of the time. It’s not worth it.
I think that’s such a good thing to do, not to put too much pressure on yourself! Having too many set and numbered goals can put high pressure on yourself and it’s always frustrating. I hope you’ll get to write more this year and will be able to be more immune to hype. I’m hoping to as well ahah 🙂
I love the resolutions to just relax and travel a lot. I love how we have those things in common. It’s what I’m aiming for as well, starting with a trip to the South border of The Netherlands next weekend and a trip to Paris two weeks later.
And yeah, the relaxing part. Sometimes when I don’t feel like blogging I just move the post up a few days and it has kept me so much more relaxed. No one messaged me: WHERE IS YOUR BLOGPOST?! So yeah, we just put the pressure on ourselves I guess.
And in my personal life I need to relax as well, work comes second and me-myself-and-I comes first. \
Have a GREAT 2020!
Ahhhh this is so exciting, I hope you’ll have a fantastic time on those trips 😀 traveling is the best.
I agree – I feel stressed out when I don’t keep my usual schedule, yet no one really notices or is mad at me when I skip a day, so…. I should try and relax about that, but sometimes it’s hard ahah 🙂
I hope you’ll have a beautiful year! <3 <3
Great goals, I hope you have an amazing year ??
Thank you so much, you too!! 🙂
You’re welcome and thanks ??
Impressive 70 books. I am impressed by all your goals and achievements. Thank for the inspiration.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Ahhhh, Marie, I hope you’re so PROUD of yourself for what you both accomplished and attempted this past year, because it’s pretty damn incredible! And your goals for 2020 sound amazing, too, and I have NO doubt that you’ll continue to succeed and achieve these goals, even amidst the hiccups and difficulties that life throws at us, sometimes. I know you’re doing to do great things and I hope I can be there and support you as you do!! <3 xx
Nicole you’re going to make me cry ahh <3 I never feel like I'm doing enough so this really warms my heart that you think so, thank you, you're too sweet <3 <3
I hope you'll be there because I'm going to need support and someone to scream at me to keep on writing and not give up and things like that, for sure, haha 😛
Thank you, you're the best I adore you <3
Well, I mean it 1000%, so don’t for one second believe differently! It’s so easy to feel like we’re never doing enough, but we are also working HARD and putting in effort, which that by itself is 100% a huge accomplishment. I can’t WAIT to cheerlead and brag about your writing progress and watch you destroy your goals and do more than you ever believed possible! <3
Yes I guess you’re right, already making the effort is GREAT and I should try and acknowledge that too. you’re the best, thank you ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
I mean, I get that even that alone is hard to do (just acknowledge the effort) because it feels too…simple, in a way? But then I think about all the stress and the amount of WORK I’m truly putting in and then it gets a little easier to acknowledge that we’re doing something powerful, every second we try. <3
Yes yes yes, I need to keep this mindset… in mind, ahah. thank you for this <3 <3
Well Marie first good luck with all these! Now my resolutions are mainly to …relax! I mean request less ARCs , just my unicorns authors or blurbs really appealing to me to feel less pressure and post whan I feel it, not because there is a schedule.
These are great resolutions!! I hope you can relax a bit more this year, I know how hard it can be sometimes. Here’s to hoping we can make it 🙂
I hope you will be able to achieve all your goals!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Thank you so, so much! 🙂
Ooo … I wanna try that discussion challenge too … Might try it out. Can’t wait to see what your blog has in store for 2020! ♥️
Ahhh you should, Jenna, it’s such a fun challenge 🙂
Thank you!! <3
Best of luck with all your resolutions this year.
Thank you so much!! 🙂
You’re welcome!
Happy new year, Marie! I, too, sucked a whole lot at blog hopping this year. I barely visited any blogs to begin with so uhhh I’m trying to be better at that this year! I also sucked at finishing series and I started SO MANY MORE, send help!!!!
I hope you get to achieve all your resolutions this year!
Thank you so much Fadwa, happy new year to you too!! ❤
I think that I’m kind of hopeless with series,I keep on starting them and never finishing them, I need to be kept accountable haha. We can do this!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I don’t have any new year resolutions because I’m pretty bad at sticking to them. I hope you achieve all your goals! Good luck!
Thank you so much Raven! Having no resolutions at all is great too 😀
Happy New Year, Marie!!!! 😀
Ahh, I can’t agree more about the unnecessary pressure resolutions put on us! But I also feel the same about the sense of progress they can bring as well, haha 😉 asdfghjkl your WIPs sound AMAZINGGGG (like please I need to read them ?)
Your resolutions for this year sound great, you’ve totally got this! I hope you have a beautiful year <3
Happy new year to you too!! 🙂
Oh you’re too sweet ahh, thank you so much!! I hope you can read them someday <3
I hope you'll have a fantastic year just as well, thank you so much for your sweet words <3 <3
I like that your goals are reasonable – I think sometimes we go too crazy setting goals and it puts too much pressure on us! Good luck and happy new year!
Ahh thank you so much, Angela <3 I hope they're not that unreachable aha 🙂 happy new year to you to, I hope you'll have a wonderful one <3
YOU GO, GIRL! You did your best and that’s what’s most important <3 It also seems you had a wonderful 2019 and I'm sure you'll rock 2020 too! It can be very hard to stick to New Year's resolutions – there are so many areas of our lives we wanna improve on, after all – but I totally believe in you! You got this! Have a lovely 2020 😀
Ahh Marta thank you so much for your support this means so so much ❤ ❤ I hope I can make it ahah. I hope you’ll have a wonderful year ahead as well!! ❤
Good luck with all your goals this year! ?
I’m all about self-care this year. I feel like last year I worried about too much and didn’t think about me, so this year I’m really working on me! 🙂
Thank you so much!! <3 I hope you can do this, I feel like self-care is one of the hardest thing ever…. but maybe it's just me ahahah. I hope you can do this, you deserve it ! <3
Thank you! I’m trying… I believe you it’s so hard, you aren’t alone in thinking that!
Here’s to 2020 and being kinder to ourselves ❤️
Yes here’s to being kinder to ourselves and, if you need to, I’ll be there to remind you of it, you deserve the best ❤️
Aw, you’re too sweet! It goes both ways, I’ll be your champion because you also deserve the best! ❤️
Awww. Let’s do that then, we can do this. self care year❤️
❤️❤️
While you didn’t do perfectly with your 2019 goals, I think you did a really good job overall! I wish you the best of luck with your 2020 goals 🙂 xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahh thank you so much Melina, <3 <3
These sound like such great goals! You really should finish An Ember in the Ashes, it’s one of my favourite series, the audiobooks are really well narrated.
Thank you so much!! I’m really looking forward to it, I loved the first two books for now 😀
Hello Marie!
I love this post so much! It’s amazing that you beat your Goodreads reading goal this year, and I am so happy that you’ve hit most of your writing goals this year too! I was glad to have beta-read your novel this year- let me know when you are looking for beta-readers for draft 4! I would be glad to get to know Keely and her gang again. I might be querying this year as well. Let’s cheer each other on 🙂
That’s totally all right that you haven’t met all of your goals. I haven’t met all my goals from 2019 either, and to be honest, looking back I think my goals had evolved throughout the year, and some things that used to be important for me from last year aren’t as important this year and that’s okay!
Self-care is one of my priorities for 2020 too.
Wishing you a wonderful year 🙂
Hi Sophie! <3
Thank you so, so much for your support all year long and for helping me with my WIP too, this honestly means the world. THANK YOU also for suggesting that this would be amazing ahh. I'm still very far from being finished with this draft, but hoping for the best and dreaming to query and you know, the biggest dream of al ahah. <3 YES let's cheer each other on, always <3
I hope you'll have a beautiful year, Sophie and that you'll get to reach all of your goals <3
I had 0 resolutions last year, and it was one of the best years I had! My blogging suffered but I did a ton, life-wise, and I don’t regret it. But, that said, I want to get my blogging back up and try a couple hear-long reading challenges for the first time. Let’s see how that goes. I wish you luck with your goals!
Ahh but that’s great, making no resolutions at all is great because no pressure and no expectations either! 🙂
I hope you’ll get to go back to blogging this year and will have lots of fun! Thank you so much <3 <3
I think you did great in 2019! Hope 2020 is even more successful for you.
2019 was full of changes and me trying to evolve, learn and follow my dreams. This year, I want to be more fearless and daring in every aspect (writing, reading, living). I am getting ready to query my book and I want to write and finish two more books.
Thank you so much!! <3 Ohh yay this is very exciting, I wish you all the best with your writing projects and querying!! <3
Thank you!
i’m sorry that you didn’t meet some of your 2019 goals, but i’m rooting for 2020 to be better!!
OMG I GET SO EXCITED WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR WIPS. they all sound so good, and i can’t wait for your book to be published someday. i wholeheartedly believe that you can do it <3 i relate to being terrible at finishing series, haha! for some reason, sequels just never come to mind whenever i think of what to read next!
good luck with all of these goals, especially self-care <3 <3 i hope this new decade is an amazing one for you <3
Caitlin ahh you’re too sweet thank you so much this means too much ? I’m far far far from it all but thank you. that’d be a dream❤
thank you so, so much!! I hope your year will be incredible ❤
(…yes, I am back from the dead haha. I didn’t do much blog hopping or posting in general in 2019, which makes me so sad, but I’m trying to get back into it this year! ?)
Anyway, I’m so proud of you for accomplishing so much in 2019, Marie!! ☺️? Especially that you finished your WIP and wrote another story, that’s honestly amazing ?? Haha omg I’m so happy to hear that you were contemporary trash in 2019 too, because I’m right there with you hehehe 😉 although I think I did read a bit more fantasy than I did in 2018!
I’m glad you traveled to three countries, that’s so cool & your pictures look so beautiful! ? I hope you’ll have fun travels this year too ? Good luck with all of your resolutions this year – wishing you the best for 2020 and I hope it’s filled with all the amazing books and happiness ?
DEZZY! It’s wonderful to have such a lovely comment from you and to hear that you’d like to get back to it all this year <3 I hope that you can and I'm just always happy to hear from you, I hope you've been okay <3
Thank you so much, you're tooo sweet! Here's to hoping I can read more fantasy this year, actually, even if I adore contemporary, I'm surely missing out on some gems ahah 🙂
Thank you so, so much. I hope you'll have a wonderful year filled with love and kindness and happiness all around???
I loved reading this post so much!! I am definitely with you on resolution adding a lot of pressure but I still like them to help encourage me to move along and to do new things!!
Well done on all your 2019 success!! I loved reading all your discussions this year as they were so good!! It is one of my new goals for 2020 to write more discussions! I love Nyx’s posts and when you blog together too!! (I am hoping my sister posts some more in 2020)!
I definitely get when you mean about blog hopping as I feel like I haven’t been as good as I was at the beginning of the year but I do think you are really good at blog hopping because you write such caring comments which is so sweet so I would change that to a success if you ask me <3
You did so well with your reading this year!! Yay!! I'm excited to participate in the YARC this year! I also need to finish series too, I always forget to prioritise them!! Hopefully we can both do it this time around!!
Well done on your writing this year as well!! That's awesome!! I love the idea of you writing one with your sister. I'm also too scared to talk about my WIP on here, I just can't do it *hides*!!
I hope 2020 is a year of travelling and self care for you!! <3 Best of luck with all your goals for this year Marie!!
Ahh Sophie thank you so much, you’re so sweet! ?
I’d LOVE to read more from your sister, too! (you can tell her that!!) and some collaborative posts together too if you’d like to, it’d be a lot of fun. It’s always nice when you can share the blogging fun with someone! 😀
Oh you’re too sweet, this is making me happy, thank you ? I feel like I’ve been slacking because I’ve been slower, but somehow I know I can’t be as quick as I used to be, because I’m just so tired and trying to prioritize myself a bit more, too. I still feel a bit guilty but trying my best ahah ? this means a lot! ?
I get that, talking about our writing is so stressful??? I feel like I can’t do it ahah, but maybe 2020 will be the year we will do it more 😛 I hope you’ll have a fantastic year as well, Sophie and thank you. for your support and all of your sweet comments always! ??
I will tell my sister that thank you SO much, she just said that she had written one so hopefully soon!! Yeah some collaborative posts would be really fun to do. It is fun to share blogging with someone! 🙂
I’m so glad this made you happy!! I get feeling guilty but you shouldn’t because prioritising yourself is SO important and I really hope you continue to put yourself first.
It is so nervous to share my writing but yes maybe 2020 will both be our year!! 🙂
Thank you so much Marie and of course I love your blog!! <3
Yay this is so exciting, I can’t wait to read more from her and both of you 🙂
Thank you, really, for your love and support always, it makes me So happy and makes my day always, Sophie <3
I really want to blog ahead/schedule posts so I’m not doing everything so last minute.
I want to work on my own WIP(s) more this year. I kept saying it last year and didn’t really do much, so that’s a fail. This will be the year!
I want to focus more on backlist books and just books that I already own in general.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Ahh I so get that, last minute is SO stressful haha 🙂 and I hope you’ll get to write more this year, I’ll be rooting for you! <3
I should probably check out that discussion page and find some new people to chat with for 2020. Your goals are super impressive, especially for someone who doesn’t like resolutions! I’m a big (BIG) fan of them and I didn’t have nearly as many successes as you did. Good luck on all of them this year!
Ahh yes you should, there are so many great bloggers and always such interesting discussions going on 🙂
Thank you so much!! Best of luck for all of your resolutions! <3
I will, thank you!
Congrats on completing so many of your goals for 2019! And hey, even many of the ones that weren’t complete successes were at least partial successes, so that’s gotta count for something 🙂 I think you did pretty great. Especially with editing your WIP and reading more diversely – those are both such great goals, and it’s wonderful that you completed them! Good luck with all of your 2020 goals – I hope you’re able to travel to some amazing places in the coming year 😀
Thank you so much, you’re so sweet! <3 <3
I hope you'll have a wonderful year as well and will get to accomplish all of your goals! 😀
You did really well with all of your goals. I’m sticking with the same as last year as I feel like I failed ? plus I basically just really want to get reading as I’ve been terrible with it lately. I haven’t read anything in ages and I really want to start but atm I have a recurring headache that won’t leave me alone -_- I’m really hoping it goes soon as I really want to curl up with a book this weekend and finally get reading. Good luck with all of your goals for this year, I’m sure you can accomplish them all (: and I hope that 2020 is fantastic for you
Oh noo, I’m certain you didn’t fail, Charlotte and you did your very best, that’s what matters! <3 <3
I'm so sorry you've been in a bit of a slump and I hope that headache will leave you alone soon and that you can read again soon! I'm sending you all the positive vibes <3
Thank you, that means a lot to me ❤❤
Of course! Always here to support you <3
These are all great resolutions and you did so well achieving so many from 2019 too! I need to join you in finishing series, continuing to read more diversely and I’m going to try to join in with Year of the Asian Reading Challenge again too, because it runs all year…
Thank you so, so much! I hope you’ll love participating in YARC,, it’s such a good challenge and I love that it runs all year long, it’s a little less stressful that way 😀
Marie I love you. Your blog posts make me smile.
“I mean, a massive maybe right here because editing is hell.” -> me.
“SELF-F***ING CARE. That’s all.” -> also me.
I’m so proud of your accomplishment on finished Draft 3 of your WIP and sending it off to beta readers! That is SO. BIG. And scary but also amazing. I mean your other accomplishments are all AWESOME too, but the writerly ones always impress me the most when people post them because I get how HARD it is to write, and edit, and just ~*~commit~*~ daily, esp. with a 9-5 (or any day job)… plus other responsibilities (family. school. blogging. blogging counts.). I’m cheering for your writerly dreams in the bleachers over here! *raises pompoms*
Here’s to a freaking fabulous 2020!
Amber ah your comment made my entire WEEK ?
Thank you so, so much for your sweet words, you’re too sweet and this means the entire WORLD ? I often feel like I’m not doing enough especially when it comes to writing, because I’m so. damn. slow, but it’s also so hard to commit and show up every day or just every week with a full time job and life and everything else, too. Anyhow, thank you, this really means a lot ???
I hope you’ll have a fantastic 2020 and will reach all of your writing goals and everything else, too, Amber. I’m sending you tons of love <3 <3
Hey Marie!! Long time no see ?You probably don’t remember me with this name but its Helena From Book nerd Addicts. I see you had a wonderful year, you did such amazing adventure.It’s great to see that you are doing well and still around. I had to take a short break ( more like a long one?)I missed the community and decided to pop on in with a revamp and new name??♀️Maybe that will brighten my spirit. But I’m really glad to see you.
I hope you have a wonderful New Year, Marie.
? Muah, Helena
HELENA! I do remember you and I deeply apologize for the time I took to answer to this comment! I’m so happy to see you back and excited to check out your wonderful revamped blog aaahh! I hope that this will be a new, wonderful adventure for you and I’m always always here if you need to chat! I hope you’ll have a fantastic year, Helena <3 <3
Marie, no need to apologize ? I’m happy you commented back. I’m excited as well to be back hopefully this time around will be less stressful haha. Thank you for your sweet words Marie. I’ll keep that in mind and Vice versa im here if you need as well. I hope you have a wonderful year too. ♥️
I really really hope so, I’m looking forward to talking more again! <3 <3 <3
I love this! I love the fact that you made resolutions for so many parts of your life and set out to accomplish those goals 😀 You did AMAZING btw, I can’t imagine getting through 70 books in a year
Aww thank you so, so much! I hope you’ll get to meet all of your goals this year! <3 <3 <3
I love your 2020 resolutions ! Wishing you an amazing year ?
Thank you so, so much Maude! Wishing you a wonderful year as well 😀
I definitely want to write more in 2020; I’ve been working on a story since 2017 and I really want to finish it early this year and maybe start something new (I mean I’m like 1/5 there sooo) but yeah, and I’m also setting a higher reading goal for this year; it’s going to be a busy one for sure. Best of luck for all your goals!
I hope you can do this, Cas, I’ll be there to root for you and scream at you to write if you need ahah, I know I sometimes need it too 🙂
best of luck for all of your goals as well and thank you!! 🙂
?? it hit me yesterday that 500 words a day for 90 days = 45,000?? so like that’s my goal for now, to try and get stuff done by may 1 (my bday hehe) so this shall be interesting, but yes thank you!!
Ahh this is such a good goal, yay! I hope you can make it! <3
Congrats on finishing your WIP and sending it out to readers 😀 it’s always sooo scary to let me people read anything you’ve written, so you gotta be proud of that 🙂
Thank you so, so much!! It is terrifying haha, but I’m really happy I did it 🙂
I am so proud of you for nailing a lot of these resolutions in so many areas! I definitely wouldn’t count the blog hopping as a fail, because you frequently showed up for me, even though I was absolutely terrible at keeping up with anyone out there. You are doing amazing still, believe me!!
Also, I see no problem in getting more ebooks than physical ones. It’s more space friendly, better for the environment if you don’t need as much paper maybe and in some cases even cheaper 😉
I just really hope you get to read more series. I know that contemporary especially is very standalone-focused, but there’s great series out there and aren’t you curious what happens next?? haha
Ahh Kat you’re too sweet. <3 I feel like I've been really slacking because… I just have slowed down considerably, compared to what I used to do and I'm like, a sloth when it comes to visiting blogs and such. I'm trying though cause it matters a lot to me to keep on visiting blogs, even if I'm sloooow ahah.
That's the thing: I AM SO CURIOUS about what happens next and… yet it takes me AGES to buy the next book, I'm not certain why? I need help hahaha
Well, you really haven’t been slacking. Circumstances change and it’s okay not to do 150% all the time. Believe me, you are doing just fine <3
thank you so much Kat, it means a lot that you think so, ❤❤❤
I think you did stupendously in 2019!! I’m especially proud of you for your writing accomplishments. I’m about to write my 2020 goals post, and I plan to be much more writing-focused this year.
Oh thank you so, so much Nicole!! <3 I hope that you will do amazing with your 2020 goals. I'm hoping to focus on my writing a lot this year too. Fingers crossed 🙂
I loved all your creative blog posts from 2019 and your blog continues to inspire me!! There were so many wonderful goals you had in 2019 and I’m wishing you the best of luck on all your goals in 2020!! ?✨ Some of my goals include: definitely to comment more on people’s blogs, continue with my novels/WIPs & catch up on my backlist TBR w/ the help of my readathon! Happy January Marie!! ✨
Awwww thank you, this means SO much, thank you! ? I wish you all the best for your goals, you can do this and I’ll be rooting for you and your writing too this year. I believe in you! <3
Your welcome, looking forward to seeing more of your amazing posts & thank you Marie! ?? Also, if I ever have writing Qs. would I be able to DM you about them?? ?✨
Ohh of course, feel free to, I’d always be happy to answer!! ??
Congratulations on achieving so many of your resolutions last year! They were all great goals to strive for and, personally, I find it’s always a win if anyone can manage to obtain at least one goal they set forth. I especially love the join the discussion challenge. I’ll have to look into that! And I also agree with the relax about blogging a bit. I’ve had to force myself to calm down to the point of just taking a hiatus and coming back stronger for it. Sometimes taking it easy can do wonders. Good luck on achieving your new/continued resolutions! I have faith you’ll do wondrously 😀
Ahh thank you so, so much, Azia! <3 I hope you'll join the discussion challenge, it's such a fun one, I love it so much 🙂
thank you so, so much! <3
This! “I kind of failed at that, but… to be fair, I had no set idea in mind and didn’t really have, or take the time to brainstorm about this.” I find I do a LOT better with goals if I set actual measurable, actionable items. So like this year I want to increase engagement in the book blogging community. That’s so amorphous, so I narrowed it down to – 1) read/comment on a Discussion Challenge linked post each time I go in and link up a post (that was I won’t forget because it will be a reaction to something else I’m doing! I FEEL SMART!) and 2) host a “book blogger spotlight” post on my blog at least once a month. And I’m pretty much making notes when I’m visiting blogs through the discussion challenge on who I might like to spotlight, and what I want that post to look like, whether I ask the blogger for an interview or link up to three posts of theirs I really enjoyed or what.
Good luck with your resolutions in 2020! It looks like you learned from what worked/didn’t work for you in 2019 and adjusted accordingly, which is awesome and something I really need to learn to do, haha. 🙂
You’re SO organized, I admire that so much, wow. <3 and it's amazing that you want to be more engaged in the community, too! It's such a big task and there is just so much to do, too, so you're right in settling some specific goals for that 🙂 I hope you'll do amazing and will discover bloggers you love! 😀
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Elley, <3 <3
Resolutions really rhyme with pressure! That’s why I don’t go near! For this year, my Goodreads challenge is 1 book! My goal for 2020 is to enjoy what I do 🙂
Relax, enjoy, write, read, and travel, lovely! xxx
YAY! 1 book is a great goal and at least, no pressure either so that’s nice 🙂 I hope you’ll have a wonderful, wonderful year my sweechie, you deserve it <3
I’m trying not to get too caught up on resolutions this year. I spent 3 years creating unrealistic resolutions: saving money, read more, etc while I was in school and try to make ends meet (of course I wouldn’t be able to save money or read on a recreational level) I mean there was also the weight loss goals that I couldn’t fathom at the rate I would’ve liked to and would just end up failing myself into a miserable mess.
This year it’s about getting my finances in order, applying for a job that meets my career goals and just overall be happier.
Happy New Year and I look further to your posts through 2020
– K
I think that’s good! It’s important not to get too caught up on resolutions and goals like that, because it brings so much pressure and… we don’t need that 🙂 I hope that you’ll have a fantastic year! <3
Thank you so much!!
Congrats on reading more in 2019 and sending out your WIP to beta readers! I’m trying to post more discussions on my blog and to finish drafting my novel in 2020.
Thank you so much!! <3 I hope you can do this, I'll be cheering you on!! <3
I adore your discussion posts so keep writing them! They are very creative and engaging as well. My blogging year was full of ups and downs as well. I love your sign off image!
Happy new year!
Aww thank you so much, this means a lot <3 <3 happy new year to you too, hope it will be a great one!!
Yes to staying in bed and doing nothing for a year ❤️ I totally understand that feeling!
I love your discussion posts and I’m so happy you’re going to be doing more of them this year! I am the same with series, but these days I just wait until the whole thing is published and marathon read it ? I’m SO happy your writing is going so well. I’m so proud of you!
I suck at self-care, but it is something that I need to practice too. If I feel burnt out I might just watch something basic on TV instead of reading. I also like to take a hot bath just to relax and get away from my mind. I’m also attempting to say no to things that I know is going to make me unhappy.
Good luck with all these wonderful resolutions, I know you can do it ❤️
Aw thank you, Michelle, I hope I can stay inspired all year long for these discussions, I always love to write them 😀
Thank you so much, this is wonderful and I really should try and do that more often, too. I don’t want to burn myself out, but sometimes I’m way too close to it ahah. <3 Thank you for your support <3 <3 <3
You did so great in 2019, Marie! One of my biggest blogging resolutions is to engage with the book blogging community more. Also, I sometimes feel stuck in the “book” vs “writing” blog niche, and I can’t figure out how to combine the two. Since you’re a writer & a fantastic social book blogger, would you have tips for either of those things? I already re-followed a lot of book blogs (including yours! 😀 ) and can’t wait to interact more this year.
Aw thank you so, so much, Charis! <3 I hope you'll be able to interact a little more this year, I know I'll be looking forward to chat more 😀
Oh my, you're too sweet, I honestly can't figure out when was the last time I wrote a "writing" only kind of post, to be honest ? Personally I'm mainly focusing on books since I'm too shy to talk about my writing more other than in these kind of posts, or in my monthly wrap-ups? so I don't know really, what kind of advice I could give you on that. You can always combine the two kind of blog posts, if you'd like to talk about your writing journey, too, like, writing updates of some kind? I'm so sorry, I wish I could guide you more, please tell me if you had anything specific you wanted to know or if I can help with something in particular! ?
i think you did AMAZING on your 2019 resolutions, marie, which is really exciting!
i definitely think self care is one of the most important ones and i hope to see you prioritizing it this new year. it can be hard to find time for yourself, but i think you’ll feel a lot better if you do. plus: it’s okay if you can’t get to every single post or reply to every single comment. i still think you’re doing an amazing job regardless and you should tell yourself that more often!
wishing you an amazing new year and all the luck with your goals! ?
Ahh Lais thank you so, so much, you’re so sweet <3 <3 I know I really need to do better with that, but I'm always having a hard time with it. I hope that this year will be the year I can do better. <3 Thank you so, so much <3 <3
Congrats on all the goals you completed, Marie, and good luck with your new ones! I’ve also been feeling kinda bad about the amount of blog hopping I’ve been doing (not a lot), but please try not to beat yourself up about it! It is TOTALLY valid to need to spend your time doing other things.
Thank you so, so much, Annie! <3 <3 I agree and I guess it's okay and important to do other things, too, but somehow I still feel a little bad ahah. I hope I can get over that. Thank you so much! <3 <3
Congrats on accomplishing soooo much in 2019!! So happy to have followed you along during the last half of it. I’m looking forward to seeing all that you manage to do in 2020. As for self-care, spending at least an hour outside, walking, reading, or soaking up that sunshine has been something that has helped me so much in 2019, and I aim on doing more of that this year. I know you don’t like the cold weather, but maybe you can get out that as Spring comes around 😉
Ahh thank you so much, Macey, you’re so so, sweet, thank you <3
This is so great, I'm so happy you could do that. I'm hoping to do that a little more this year and just pay attention to myself and try to relax more ahah 🙂 thank you! <3
That’s a good way to look at your past goals and resolutions, Marie, and I am glad that you were able to achieve most of those. I have set quite low goals this year considering how I have limited time these days. I am hoping to come around blogging more and to post consistent atleast even if I am posting less. For reading, I have kept my goal to just 30 books for now, but that didn’t stop me from participating in various reading challenges 😀
TRaveling wise this year was slow- first because of my pregnancy and then with the child. But I hope 2020 is better in terms of traveling.
I hope 2020 is even much better for you than 2019. Good luck with your goals 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Sim! <3 I think that keeping up with your blog and posting, no matter how often, is already awesome and 30 books is already such a great goal! I hope you can make it and I'll be rooting for you 😀
Good luck with all your resolutions! I loved that you reflected on 2019 as well, I think you did pretty well ? I hope to hear more about how your WIP is going and I wish you all the best of luck with eventually querying it ? I also need to get better at self-care because I always forget doing it ?
Thank you so, so much, Caro, this means so much <3 I hope that your writing will go well this year, too <3
And same, I'm just terrible at it ? here's to hoping we can do more!
So many wonderful goals here, Marie! I feel the same way about resolutions placing unwanted pressure on ourselves, which is why I decided to make very few this year! A huge congrats on accomplishing so many of your goals for 2019! I loved all the author interview and collab posts with Nyx you posted in the past year! I can’t wait to see all that you do in 2020! <3
Thank you so much, Kelly! I’m happy you’re keeping it low key this year, it’s always the best thing to do 🙂
I hope you’ll have a brilliant year! <3
I think you did pretty well when it comes to your goals for 2019 and did a lot of them! And realistically, it is so hard to do it all. I have never done all the resolutions I set for myself yet. I love that you want to read whatever you want and read diversely. I definitely support those goals, and hopefully you can do as much travel as possible this year too!
Ahh thank you Olivia, you’re so sweet <3 <3 Let's hope so and I hope you'll manage to reach all of your goals this year if you have any 😀