2011: A few manga and blog-related resolutions

Man, when was the last time I did any resolutions? I can’t remember, but I mostly thought they were for suckers waiting to be disappointed. Still, there are a few goals I’d like to set for myself this year and this is the traditional time of year to set goals for yourself, so here goes…

1. Get new glasses: OK, this isn’t a goal so much as a necessity, but considering my insurance doesn’t include eye care any more, it’s somewhat of a financial goal. This will not only improve my eyesight, it will also help make my career easier since now I have to stare at a computer screen to edit all of my manga. At least I have health insurance at all. I know many freelancers don’t and that makes me incredibly lucky. (In an odd way, because the reason I have insurance at all is because I was born with a congenital heart condition.)

2. Get more freelance work, a full-time or part-time job (in comics, preferably): Mostly, I just need to make more money to support myself. I don’t want to rely on my family forever and I’m pretty sure they don’t want to support me forever either. I’d love to get a part-time job working in a bookstore (comic book or just one that sells some comic books). In the mean time, I’ll just have to learn how to be better with the money I do have.

3. Start Japanese or Korean language classes: I’ve been putting this off because I frankly can’t afford it, even with a tax write-off. I’d love to be able to reach a point financially where I can start learning again because I think both languages will be a huge boost to my career.

4. Move the blog over to it’s own domain: I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile, but I have no idea how! No one I know (or, at least no one I know who can come over and teach me) seems to know how to do it. I’ve seen how WordPress-powered blogs work from only a contributor’s perspective, not from that of one who runs the entire look and feel of a site, not just the content.

5. Join an affiliate program: I spend so much time on blogging and I do get a lot back from it, but it would be nice if this blog was a small financial support as well. Even if it just paid for one manga a month, it would relieve my wallet some and I’d be happy. Think about it this way, you’d not only be supporting me, but the industry I work for. Hey now!

6. Write better posts: 2010 was a great year for All About Manga and I’ve figured out how to write posts people want to read on topics that people want to discuss. That part’s the easy part. It’s the continuing to write engaging posts on a regular basis that’s hard. So, of course, I’d like to improve my writing, especially as I don’t review much or really participate in what others call comics journalism. (I just like to comment on the news.) Any suggestions that spring forth from your mind are welcome.

7. Read more out-of-print manga: While there are plenty of fantastic titles out these days, I feel that I missed some of the excellence of manga publishing’s yesteryears because I was simply too cash-strapped and close-minded when I began as a manga fan. I’ve gotten the pleasure of reading some great stuff like Eagle, Beck, Princess Knight and others, but I want to catch up on what I missed!

So those are my goals for this year. Fairly simple. All things I really do want to do. What are your goals for the next year and how do they involve manga, anime or other passions?