Annual Writing Goal Progress in Q1, 2025 (What’s Working and What’s Not?)

We’re into April already! It’s been a pretty good first quarter (Q1) for me, though one with a few challenges.

I’ve been broadly happy with the writing progress I’ve made, and I wanted to share how things are going, what’s working, what’s not quite working so well, and what I’ve got planned for the next quarter.

Recap: My Writing Goals for 2025

Back at the start of January, I wrote about my writing goals for 2025, which are:

1. Write 250+ Words of Fiction Every Day
2. Get a Publishing Deal for Reaper OR Self-Publish
3. Write Six Short Stories
4. Write Weekly Posts and Newsletters

My freelance work has been going really smoothly so far this year (a big improvement on this time in 2024!) … but how did I get on with the other goals?

Goal #1: Write 250+ Words of Fiction Every Day

So far, I’ve managed to stick with this goal, writing at least 250 words per day – with a grand total of 31,087 words in total during Q1. (That works out to an average of 345 words/day, as I had a few days when I wrote a bigger chunk.)

I do feel that short, daily writing sessions aren’t the most natural fit for me—but I’m also struggling to fit in longer sessions. During March, I managed to get into a good routine of using the Wednesday Writers’ Cafe writing hour for fiction writing, so I had 1,000+ words on several Wednesdays in a row. It was great to be able to get more immersed in the children’s novel I’m working on.

Next Quarter

In Q2, I’d like to keep up with at least one longer weekly session. I’d also like to build in more time for brainstorming (this is one of the struggles I had last year, too, with the 250 words/day goal).

Goal #2: Get a Publishing Deal for Reaper … or Self-Publish

On 9th January, I sent out my cover letter and synopsis (completed last December) to five agents who I thought might be a good fit for Reaper.

So far … nothing! One agent wrote back with a form rejection and I haven’t heard from any of the others.

This was about what I expected. 😅

Next Quarter

I’m going to find 5 or so more potential agents to query, and send out Reaper to them. (Finding UK agents who accept fantasy literature was harder than I expected, so I think it’s unlikely I’m going to find many more than that to submit to.)

Goal #3: Write Six Short Stories

I attempted a couple of short stories, and also drafted a longish short story (around 5,000 words) in January … and then forgot to go back to it!

This one wasn’t for a specific competition or market, just an idea/structure I wanted to play around with. Usually, the short stories I write are between 1,000 and 2,000 words, so this was an interesting length to have a go at.

Next Quarter

I’m planning to be a bit more intentional with short stories in Q2 – revising the one I’ve already written, and looking for a competition or two that I’d like to have a go at.

Goal #4: Write Weekly Posts and Newsletters

I wanted to be as consistent as possible with putting out weekly blog posts and newsletters in 2025. I missed one of the February blog posts (we had a particularly hectic middle-of-February!) and possibly a newsletter or two … but I’m going to call it a win!

If you missed reading any of the posts, you can find them all here in the Archive.

Next Quarter

Because I had a very consistent volume of freelance work this quarter, I didn’t manage to get ahead with blog posts/newsletters at all. Next quarter, I really want to at least have outlines ahead of time … it makes writing the posts so much easier!

What’s Coming Up on Aliventures

In Aliventures news, things you’ll see during Quarter 2 are:

• A second set of free writing prompts for newsletter subscribers (you can get Set 1 already)
• A few tweaks to Editing Essentials (if you’ve already bought it, you’ll receive the updated version)
• The annual Aliventures Spring Survey, so I can get your feedback on what you’d like to see on Aliventures during the rest of the year

I’m also doing some behind-the-scenes tweaks to the Aliventures newsletter—this will mainly make it a smoother experience for new people joining, so if you’re already on the list, not much will change.

As always, if there’s ever a topic you’d like to see me cover on the blog or newsletter, just let me know. 🙂

How did the first quarter of 2025 go for you? Whether it’s been a brilliant few months or a struggle, do share how you’re getting on with your writing goals—I’d love to hear from you. Just pop a comment below, or email me any time at ali@aliventures.com.