In 2024, I wanted to read 50 books, finish and query my novel, go to Italy, buy a house, buy a new car, get promoted, quit my job and become a career novelist, move to Lisbon, learn Portuguese, get a handle on my OCD through therapy, and set intentional boundaries that would benefit my mental health.

I had big goals, most of which were not fulfilled. I did not get promoted, buy a house, or quit my job to become a full-time novelist. I did not go to Italy or buy a new car. I read 32 books instead of 50 and don’t remember the details for many of them. I finished and queried my novel. I’ve had three full manuscript requests and plenty of rejections. I am working with a therapist to get a handle on my OCD through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I set boundaries with people and situations that only make my OCD worse. I travelled to Montreal and then to the Dominican (where I came back with a wicked virus that wiped me out). I found joy in moving my body again. 

I learned so much about myself, my family, my marriage, and my friendships in 2024. I’m looking forward to nourishing these relationships and showing up in the ways that I can for the people that I love.

I don’t have any big goals or resolutions for 2025, no plans of moving (homes or countries), quitting my job, or buying a new car. No plans at all. I would like to travel, continue my 5 AM writing mornings, start and finish my next novel, spend less time on Instagram, and keep querying One More Truth until I find a champion of an agent. 

I would like to slow down, take up space, speak out instead of holding it in, be less afraid, and stop worrying that people are going to leave me. I want to be bright, bold, and unapologetic about who I am. I want to let go of all the plans I made and live, as my husband always says, day by day. 

xo Vanessa

*Previously posted on Substack DEC 31, 2024*