Do you set yourself challenges? I don’t normally. The last one I set myself didn’t make it through the year. The fifty-seven challenge. Fifty-seven new things to do in the year I turned 57. I didn’t even keep up with my plans for a month.

I don’t do new year’s resolutions for the same reason. When I aimed to give up chocolate, coffee, or alcohol – I normally made it to the middle of the year, but never the whole year. Eventually I stopped smoking cigarettes (nine years ago) and alcohol (fourteen years ago). Coffee and chocolate are still staple foods.

So then why on earth am I challenging myself to publish a book a month for the year?

Because I think I might be able to do it. I have so many stories that I want to finish, and also, without goals, I’m all over the place. I need focus, structure, organisation and control. Yes, you heard me. I don’t like not knowing what my next move is. There’s a lot in my life I can’t control, and I want to grab back the reins, and the steering wheel.

The books won’t all be 50 000 – 60 000 words. Some will be 20 000 or 30 000. Others will be picture books. A couple are even special orders for family and friends. They will be published, with ISBNs and everything, just maybe not published for everyone.

I want to track my word count, though honestly that more ambitious than writing the words. Just to see how many words I write in a month. Not counting these blogs, although they are still words.

That’s the other thing – these are all my words. I don’t use any AI platforms for anything other than asking it how to operate a tool or understand instructions. Even then I don’t understand it.

I raise this point, because I know some authors receive a hard time about their writing. They must be using AI because they write a lot. I see no sense in using that tool to write. The reason I write is to keep occupied and share specific ideas, explore concepts, and in my own voice. In the covers I design I use stock photos because I can’t draw. I don’t ask AI to create anything, AI as a tool has a place, but that’s not to replace human skills and creativity.

Back to my challenge. I’ve mapped out the first couple of books, I’m quietly confident that I’ll succeed. If I stay on track. I can do this!