Annual Writing Goal Progress in Q4, 2025 (Slower Progress)

We’re getting close to the end of 2025. In fact, 12th December always feels a little bit like the ending of a year for me … because it’s my birthday!

So how did things go in Q4, and during 2025 as a whole?

Recap: My Writing Goals for 2025

Way back in January, I wrote about my writing goals for 2025, which were:

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

Here’s how those have been working out during the final quarter of the year:

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

Back in June, I decided that daily writing wasn’t working well for me … so I ditched the goal. 

Here’s how my word count looks across the eleven and a bit months so far this year:

In Q3, I wrote a whole novel draft. Q4 didn’t go quite so well! We had more going on (family, church, kids activities…) and then we had a flu/Covid-type bug that did the rounds in our house during most of November. 

I made it 28,000 words into Draft 2, which isn’t terrible, but nor is it the full draft I was hoping for!

So, I want to get this draft finished off early in the new year, hopefully by the end of February There’s more work to do than I’d originally thought (isn’t that always the case with first drafts?!) but I’d definitely like to send this one round agents once it’s had a third or fourth draft.

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

I failed to make time for this goal this quarter. I think I’ve given it long enough now for any agents to get back to me …

I’m still planning to self-publish Reaper, but I decided not to rush it out before Christmas. I’m going to contact a cover designer, and block out a couple of days in January to do all the proofreading and formatting bits.

Goal #3: Write Six Short Stories 

No new stories again this quarter! All the writing time I did have went into the novel. I’d like to tackle more short stories next year, though – my plan with these, going forward, is to look ahead at competition topics and deadlines so I can figure out what I want to write, when.

I’m also planning to write some short stories for women’s magazines (if you’re in the UK, you might know that there are a few like People’s Friend and My Weekly that publish fiction). This is something I did years ago – I got a stack of rejection letters and one published story! – so I’d like to give it another try.

Goal #4: Write Weekly Posts and Newsletters

I’ve mostly kept up with weekly blog posts and newsletters during Q4. As well as time being a little crunched at some points, I’ve had a few small technical hitches, and have also moved the newsletter to (a) a new email service provider and (b) a different day of the week!

If you’re not already getting the newsletter, you can sign up for it here.

It comes out (usually) on Tuesdays, with a short article about writing, plus a “spotlight” or “what I’m reading” section to highlight things you might be interested in.

What Happened in 2025 on Aliventures?

I published 35 blog posts (not including this one), which you can find in the Archives.

Some of my favourites were these ones covering different points of view / perspectives:

• Mastering Third Person Limited Point of View: Four Options and Four Examples
• What is an Omniscient Narrator and Should You Use One in Your Story? (Pros, Cons, and Examples)
• Is First Person Point of View Right for Your Story? Five Approaches (+ Examples)

I also:

• Created the Character Name Generator (it handles descriptions, different ethnicities, even middle names…!)
• Added new freebies for the newsletter list: the Make Time to Write worksheet, Novel Structure worksheet, and Character Cards. If you’re on the newsletter list, you can find the link & password for these at the bottom of every newsletter email. If you’re not on the list, you can join it here.
• Ran the “Finish Your Novel” group twice, which I’ve now merged into Writers’ Cafe as a whole. (See below!)
• Launched Zero to Story, a practical, hands-on course on the basics of fiction – if you follow it day by day, you’ll have a finished piece of flash fiction and a finished short story after three weeks.

What’s Coming Up in 2026?

I’m still setting my writing goals for 2026 … I’ll share those with you at the start of January.

With Aliventures, I’ll be publishing regular blog posts and newsletters, focusing on fiction – especially novel writing.

We’ve also got a new focus in Writers’ Cafe for 2026. Most members (90%!) said that they’re either working on a novel or planning on writing one, so “novel writing” is going to be at the heart of Writers’ Cafe from now on.

I’m adding more writing hours, plus weekly feedback sessions (which were really popular and effective in the “Finish Your Novel” group), workshops all about novel writing, and virtual writing retreats.

If you want to write a novel in 2026 – or finish one that you’ve been tackling on-and-off for a while – then come and join us in Writers’ Cafe. The doors are open till Friday 19th December, and you’ll get a free 30 minute coaching session with me in January if you join before then.