Looking back, looking ahead
It’s important to reflect on where you’ve been, but it’s even more important to keep an eye on where you’re going.
Goals
I don’t make resolutions, but I do set goals for myself. My primary goal for 2025 was to make substantial progress on my latest book project. Thanks to the critique/accountability group I joined in January, I did that and then some: I finished three drafts of the book, did a couple of rounds of polishing, and declared the book finished by mid-December. It’s relatively short and decidedly odd, so different from anything I’ve written before.
My goals for 2026 are to seek a publisher for the completed novel and to make substantial progress on a new novel. The new book is more traditional and is a larger undertaking. I might finish a draft, but almost certainly won’t have it ready for publication until 2027.
My Stubstack
I moved my newsletter to Substack last year and tried to be more regular about posting content. I also started a series of posts about my international career: Living Globally. This is a link to Part 14, but you can see all of the episodes on my Substack page.
Reading
I had to hustle in December to meet my goal of reading 60 books in 2025, but I made it with one day to spare. As I have for several years, I kept a reading journal on my website. I had a hard time deciding on a Top 5 for the year, but here are 5 of the best books I read in 2025.
Travel
This year, I made my first trip to New York City since before the pandemic. I had a great time, saw some plays, visited with friends, went to some museums, and ate some great food.
Also, I’ve been going to Europe in recent years, and in 2025 I went to Portugal for two weeks, including one week at a writing retreat at a beautiful place called Quinta Camarena and one week in Lisbon. It’s a terrific city to visit (with an inadequate airport).
I’ll be spending a few weeks in Germany in 2026, and may plan a second trip for later in the year. Destination TBD.
For Writers and Curious Non-writers
For many years, I’ve been ranking the top literary magazines. The purpose of the rankings is to help writers of short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to decide where to submit their work. I base the rankings on the number of Pushcart Prizes and Special Mentions magazines receive over ten years. The annual Pushcart Prize volume comes out in December, and I have just posted the updated rankings for 2026.
Best wishes to you, too, Clifford! Thanks for the lists of literary prize winners. They come in very handy when I have something to submit.
Sincerely,
Kathryn