...Onwards to 2013

Since I failed many of my goals in 2012 (see here) you might think I'd go easy on myself in 2013. No chance. What follows is an overview of the things I want to get done. Later in the year I'll probably compile another 'traffic light' post since the last one helped me focus my thoughts on what needed doing - even though I didn't do much of it at all in the end! So, here goes nothing...

My PhD is obviously the most important thing in my life. With a little bit of luck I'll be close to completion by the end of the year - or at least I'll have all the blocks in place and just need to rearrange them a bit. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but goals were meant to be challenging.

Related to the above, I want to get some conference experience under my belt. Talking in public is not exactly something I'm good at but it has to be battled at some point and now is that time. I've submitted abstracts for a couple of conferences already but if they don't come off then there's plenty more to have a crack at.

This post details all my major writing projects. In terms of priority for working on this year, I'd put them in this order: 'Lily', 'Danni', 'Liz', 'Lauren', 'Max' and 'Vic' (which is the actual order they were written in the first place!). Realistically, I think I'll only work on the first four of those - although all six would be nice. In addition, I'll try and resist adding new first drafts to my pot (excluding NaNoWriMo).

I'll participate in NaNoWriMo again - provided I have a decent idea come November.

I'm working on a transcription (and introduction) of Edmund Yates's Black Sheep for Valancourt Books (details can be found here). By the end of the year I'd like to have made a huge dent in this - if not have it completely finished and submitted.

Although I'm not quite sure where my work with 2020UK will take me this year but I'll continue working with the group.

I'm not taking part in any reading challenges this year but that doesn't mean I won't be reading! My marvellous Christmas present of a Kindle (thanks to my sister and family) means I've started downloading loads of things I didn't have access to before. Some of them are work related (complete works of Wilkie Collins and some lost texts of Mary Elizabeth Braddon have already found their way onto the list) but others will just be plain fun. In addition, I'll be watching loads of classic films this year as my reward for doing some of the above stuff that looks terrifying in a list like this.

You'll notice all of these are pretty much professional goals. Don't I have any personal ones? Well, no. Let's allow those to melt into the distance and focus on the stuff that's really important.