Look, I won’t lie, I think I hit a bit of a writing slump at the end of last year. I sort of collapsed and suddenly couldn’t do anything except be a master puzzler, working on my 1,000 piece Where’s Wally jigsaw (haha, but gosh, how addictive!).
But now the new year has hit and life really doesn’t wait around for you when you sink into that slump. So I hauled myself out. It really took me a few weeks but I feel like I have managed to get my thoughts back in order, and am feeling excited again about my writing, my upcoming stories and my goals for 2023.
But most especially, I’m so excited for the stories I want to write this year!
My goals are pretty ambitious (I always dream of a little more than is actually possible to do) but I don’t mind if I don’t manage them all.
I’ll be excited to give it a go!
My 2023 Goals
- Finish the alternative history 1922 grimy Deco-punk mystery manuscript I’ve been working on and submit it to my agent, to see what she thinks. It is set in Sydney, Australia, and doing all the historical research has been fascinating! I should be finished this one in another couple weeks, but I have no idea what will happen after that. Traditional publishing is a slow and strange beast, and like always, I’ve written a very weird book, haha. I really love it, though, so I hope it can find a home with a local publisher!
- 2023 will be the year of writing Red Kingdom stories for me, from February onward. I want to re-write and finish book 2 in the series, and at least get a good chunk done on book 3. I have so many exciting ideas for these stories, and I can’t wait to share them. Mad mysteries, crazy worlds, and heaps of dark magic. I’m dying to dive back into this world!
- I am hoping that 2023 will be the year I just lean into the joy that writing gives me, and try and ignore the other side of being an author, which is (haha) stress, stress, stress for an introvert like me. I love talking about my fiction, I do, but I always feel very nervous to put myself out there publicly, too, so marketing my books has always been a strange challenge. I both want to do it desperately but find it very scary. Which is why I am endlessly grateful to every reader who likes and shouts about my books! It really encourages me to keep putting myself and my work out there, and try to be a bit more confident. 🙂
- I have some other smaller writing projects I’m hoping to achieve this year too! But I’ll chat about them if/when they happen.
- Health-wise, lots of walking and swimming. I want to spend more time enjoying the world this coming year. Work is great, but it isn’t everything. It is good to walk away from the desk (and screen!) sometimes and live my life a bit more, without feeling guilty I’m not working.
So my biggest focus this year, will be writing heaps more. It may mean I’m on social media a bit less, or thinking about marketing a little less, but my biggest goal is just to really WRITE HEAPS!
I can’t wait!
THANK YOU FOR READING
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PJ Nwosu writes dark mystery novels set in epic fantasy worlds.
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A vast, rotting city set aflame by Purge House.
A crowd gathers in the shadow of the Red Palace to watch the pyres burn.
A bitter ex-soldier infiltrates the city’s greatest gold house, determined to locate the slave he seeks.
Diem Lakein might not like what he finds.
Welcome to the Red Kingdom