My 2026 Focus Word is Balance
April 12, 2026 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as balance, Denise M. Colby, focus word, Word of the yearIt’s time I shared my 2026 focus word. Every year I pick a word to be my main theme for the year. It’s something I’ve done since 2015. Last year, my word was Flourish. In 2024 it was Grow. For 2026, the word I picked is BALANCE.
Why the focus word Balance?
I don’t know about you but I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with everything. Quiet time, family time, full-time day job, writing, family, health & exercise. I absolutely love this quote:
Writing and launching two books in 2025 was so much fun, but it also used up every waking moment I had available outside of my day job. This year I wanted to dial things back a bit to be … well … more balanced. Hence why I chose balance as my 2026 focus word.
That doesn’t mean I’m stopping writing. It’s more about aiming for more time in each area of importance in my life, while not having one part consume me over a long period of time. (although if I had to have one consume me, it’s the book-related one….I never tire of spending time in this area – lol).
Each year, I choose a main Bible verse to go along with my focus word.
For 2026, that verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
I have also found some great quotes on this word, including:
This is my twelveth year choosing a word and I’ve enjoyed sharing and writing about my word on this blog. I have a section on my website where I’m building word pages so that if someone chose any of those words they could utilize the quotes and ideas.
I have more to share about my 2026 focus word, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I’d love to know what word you’ve chosen for 2026. Let me know in the comments.
Books by Denise M. Colby
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A Whole New Plan, Book Four in My Series, Releases This Year
March 12, 2026 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as A Whole New Plan, Book Release, Denise M. ColbyI’m so excited to announce my next book, A Whole New Plan, releases on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
A Whole New Plan Book Blurb
Sometimes God’s best plan is the one we never expected.
California, 1870. Pastor William Baker built his life on steady faith and safe choices, but the arrival of Lydia Spencer upends everything. Independent, outspoken, and hiding a limp from a recent injury, Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. And she has no interest in church—or in sharing her secrets.
What Will doesn’t realize is that Lydia is a Pinkerton detective, undercover as a schoolteacher while tracking a dangerous crime boss. She’s determined to protect her friends in Washton… even if it means keeping her distance from the kind, steadfast pastor who sees too much.
When strange thefts strike the ranch and a frightened boy appears with ties to their past, Will and Lydia are thrown together in a search for truth—and find themselves fighting not only for justice, but for a future neither had planned.
Full of faith, mystery, and romance, A Whole New Plan weaves a story of healing hearts, unexpected love, and God’s perfect design.
There’s a little bit for everyone in this story:
💕 Romance Tropes
- Slow Burn Romance
- Opposites Attract
- Pretend Engagement / Fake Relationship
- Out of My League
- Forced Proximity
- Protector Hero
🔍 Mystery/Adventure Tropes
- Pinkerton Agent / Lady Detective
- Small-Town Mystery
- Undercover Investigation
- Secrets & Hidden Identity
Book four in a series
This is book four in the Best-laid Plans Series. Here’s the series blurb.
Three young women. One new beginning. A journey of faith, friendship, and unexpected love.
It’s 1869 and three young women travel to Sacramento, California, ready to begin new lives as teachers in the rural one-room schoolhouses of the West. But the plans they carefully laid soon give way to something far greater. As God gently redirects their paths, each woman discovers lessons in friendship, faith, and trust—and encounters the most surprising gift of all: love.
They weren’t searching for it.
They never expected it.
But they may just find everything their hearts truly need.
Series Order
There has been a bit of confusion about the order of books, since this is the third teacher’s story.
My actual third book released is a prequel. No Plan at All is a side-story from a character from the first book, but Amazon doesn’t allow using 0 or .5 and only will allow labeling them based on the order released (lesson learned).
So here are the books in my Best-laid Plans Series in the actual timeline order.
I’m so excited to have multiple books to show together. That makes four books released in the last two years.
How did that happen?
I have worked hard over the past decade writing and learning, and its great to see the fruit now from all that labor.
It’s also fun to have many more stories in my head to fit this story world. I have two other teachers still to write, as well as other side characters that have been raising their hand wanting to share as well.
I wanted to share encouragement for every writer out there. Keep going. One day, you too will be able to have multiple books out for readers to enjoy.
Denise loves to share about her writing journey (see all her posts here), including her word of the year (this year it is BALANCE), her debut novel When Plans Go Awry, and all the things in between. You can visit her at her website and blog at www.denisemcolby.com or on her facebook or instagram. Please note: some links include Amazon Associate links where Denise can earn from qualifying purchases.
0 0 Read moreJoining the HHH Blog as a Contributor
February 12, 2026 by Denise M. Colby in category Columns, The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as Denise M. Colby, writers life, writingI’m excited to share that starting this month, I’ll be a regular contributor to the HHHistory blog. The HHH blog is the Heroes, Heroines, & History blog. It’s mission? Uniting those who love to write about history with those who love to read it.
I’ve been following this blog for a while now. There’s such a wide range of history being shared. The rules are simple. Do not duplicate any topic that has already been written.
Although there have been some posts about California, I was happy to see that there wasn’t specific topics related to the flooding, the rebuilding over the existing city of Sacramento, and several other points of history that I’ve researched for my stories. So as an HHH blog contributor, I get to write about all those things.
My first hhh blog post is February 14th
My first blog is titled Sacramento, California Origins and How They Dealt with Floods. Much of my content I had found when I wrote When Plans Go Awry, but I also found new content, including an image on the Sacramento History Museum’s Instagram page, showing how much devastation occurred because of them.
I have gathered a lot of research and fascinating tidbits over the years, but I couldn’t put it all in my stories. Now I have a place to share the details. My posting date each month is the fourteenth, and my first post goes live on February 14. (I can’t share a link until it is live).
I would love to have you join me.
Sign up to receive the posts here on the main page. https://www.hhhistory.com
Or sign up for my newsletter to receive the link to the post each month.
Denise M. Colby loves to share about her writing journey (see all her posts here), including her word of the year (this year it is BALANCE), her novels, and all the things in between. You can visit her at her website and blog at www.denisemcolby.com or on her facebook or instagram. Please note: some links include Amazon Associate links where Denise can earn from qualifying purchases.
0 1 Read moreWhat My 2026 Writing Process Looks Like
January 12, 2026 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as Denise M. Colby, Planning, writing processIt’s a new year and I’m sharing what my 2026 writing process looks like for my first post of the year. Part of this is for me to do an honest review of what is working and what is not. It also reminds me of what I need to do. I’m currently coming out of an editing phase and need to dive into writing the next book. Remembering what works for me helps. I did some of this in my December 2025 blog post as I reviewed my word for the year – flourish
Then I thought it would be helpful to write it out and share it. Holding myself accountable, but also providing others with ideas that they may have not tried yet.
I have found that there are multiple things needed in order to complete a manuscript. Some of this is what comes inside of a person. Determination. Discipline. Action.
But as many authors have asked as they write. What type of action? How do I find time? What type of schedule do I keep? How do I know if I’m doing the right things? What comes next? Asked a bazilion times, over and over.
Writing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
When I got my contract, I had my first book finished and two rough drafts done. Or what I thought were rought drafts. I had to literally start over, and so the dates I had comitted to, I had to figure out how to deliver. It took my twelve years to write and publish the first book. Six months to write the next three. Add into that mix, editing sessions, proofing sessions, cover design, back matter, inside matter, launch team, promotions, newsletters, and the list goes on. There are a lot of things to juggle.
And you know what? I did it. I’ve released three books in the last two years, with the fourth one releasing in May 2026. Check out my Best-laid Plans Series page on Amazon.
It’s amazing when we have deadlines how we make it work.
But I also got more streamlined the further I went. This has helped me immensely.
The Writing Process I Morphed Into
By far there are a few things I know now I can’t live without in order to write, and I will continue to use these writing processes for 2026.
First is my critique group. Their feedback and support has been a continuous blessing. We send a chapter a week when we need something reviewed. Not all of us are in the writing phase so it’s not everyone sending a chapter a week. This helps. It’s like a rotation. And it has worked for us.
The next thing on my list would be the writing sprint group I belong to. It would be very easy for me to sleep in, get distracted by laundry, or not show up when it’s only myself. But having a 7am zoom call with others writers has helped not only finish three books, I have resources at my fingertips to ask during our five minute breaks.
So if you do not have a community of writers to work with, I suggest joining a local writing group, or an online group. There are many available by genre or in general. Ask here what you are looking for and I can provide links to one of the five groups I belong to (yes, five – and I love them all in different ways.)
I also set realistic weekly goals for myself. I love to cross out something on a list. So I write out all the chapters I need to write, figure out how many writing sessions (I use twenty-five minute sprints where I can write at least 500 words as my calculator) I need to do, then plan for so many words in a week.
When editing, I create a page with the chapter numbers and put a sticker by them to tell me they are done. All of this adds fun, accountability, and helps me see my goals accomplished.
Other writing tools I’ve used and will continue in 2026
Focus@will – this website has allowed me to pick music and sounds that fit my mood, and helps elevate my brain focus while writing. I feel I write stronger when I use it. It has a timer so I keep to the twenty-five minute sprints I’m now used to.
Scrivener – this is the software I use to write my manuscripts
Apple notes – I started using this two years ago and it has worked well. It syncs between my computer, phone, and ipad, so that when an idea hits, I can capture it and then access it when and where I need to. I have built a lot of folders within notes. One folder by book. When writing the book, I have scene ideas and brainstorms, then later I put all my launch info in one note (with links).
I’ve added a research folder and put all the links to things there as I find things. Yes, Scrivener has a place for research but I use that for book specific things. The research I’m leaving in notes work across my series. So in some ways I’ve made a little story bible within notes for easy access.
Other folders I’ve added include a social media folder where I type out my posts first (so I can control the spacing and links), as well as marketing folders for newsletters, bookfunnel promotions, blog posts (I have all my links on a page). This has come in handy when I’ve needed to find things quickly. Much faster than trying to find the file I saved.
2026 Writing Process improvements
I always love starting a new year with reflection and planning. Even though I hope this year is more of the same writing process I’m already doing, I hope it continues to become more refined. so I can write and publish more books.
What is part of your writing process wheelhouse that you can share with all of us?
0 0 Read moreEnding The Year with Flourish
December 12, 2025 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Denise M. Colby, Word of the year, Writing GoalsI love this time of year. Not just because it’s the holidays and the decorations and the festiveness of the season. But because it’s a time to reflect on all that’s happened this year. A time to review what took place. A time to plan for the next year. That’s why I titled this post ending the year with flourish.
I usually write a summary for our Christmas card on all the family has been doing this year. In my writing world, I like to fill out a summary of all that I accomplished and learned, both good and not so great. Usually the list is better than I realize, so it’s a good exercise. (I’m just starting with it as I write this blog post, so thank you, A Slice of Orange, for giving me a deadline).
I also assess my word of the year. For 2025 it has been Flourish. I have a word journal and I did not write in it very much this year. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I was busy flourishing and didn’t have as much time as I have had in past years.
Why Flourish?
First, let’s dive into what the word was about for me. If you look at synonyms for flourish, you get a feel for what I was focusing on this year.
Bloom. Thrive. Blossom. Brandish. Wave. Curlycue. Grow.
I wanted to flourish in my walk with God, my relationships, my writing, my work, and my health. I also wanted to help others flourish.
My previous years were Grow (2024), and Change (2023) and this built on that. I was ready to flourish. And I feel like I did just that.
How did I flourish?
In my personal life, I’ve added strength training into my workout regimen. I’ve stabelized some health issues I had been dealing with. My contract day job went permanent. My husband and I celebrated our 30th anniversary and took a three week trip to Europe together. We’ve been able to get together with many friends and family. In fact, tonight we are celebrating my father-in-law’s 90th birthday and earlier this year we celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. We’ve hosted a lot of family get togethers this year.
Writing specific end of year flourish
Since this is a writer’s blog, I won’t share more personal things, but dive into my writing list. Here’s a few things I would add under flourish for 2025:
- I released two books in 2025 – A Slight Change of Plans and No Plan at All
- My debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, was announced as a Carol Award Finalist
- I wrote the fourth book (for a 2026 release)
- I ran my first GoodReads giveaway
- I participated in 11 bookfunnel promotions
- I participated in a book club with eleven other new-to-me authors
- I participated in a round robin email exchange and gained more subscribers (crossing the 500 threshold)
- I sent out one newsletter a month
- I attended two writing conferences
- I’ve reviewed countless entries from my critique group
- I judged entries for two different contests
- I posted all 12 months on Slice of Orange Blog (here’s my archive link to my own posts – you can actually see where I flourished as things were happening)
- I posted 6 blog posts on my own website
- I’m currently writing a reader magnet
- I put together a proposal for 3 more books and am starting to write the first chapters to submit to my publisher
- I stretched myself to make reels on social media, more graphics
Well, wow. I hadn’t written all these out until now (and I keep thinking of ideas to capture – sorry the list got so long). That’s a pretty cool list. I think I did a lot of things that would fit in the flourish category.
How about you? What all happened in your life this year? Did you write new words? Complete a story? Pitch a story? Attend a workshop? Serve on a committee?
What comes next?
When I write out the rest of my 2025 review, I will include things that didn’t work as well. Tracking that is important too. It helps you know what not to focus on. Our time is limited and the choices we make with how we spend it matters.
To wrap things up, it’s been a great year. I’m very thankful for all of it. And have tried to enjoy every minute the best I can. Sometimes I was a little overwhelmed (okay, maybe a lot working a fulltime job, writing, and juggling family commitments).
Based on all of those things, I’m learning toward a word for 2026 that might help me in other areas of my life. We shall see. I’m still figuring out what that word will be. Stay tuned for my January post or watch for it on instagram or facebook once we head into the new year.
Other flourishing things
For now, I’ll leave you with a few Bible verses I had chosen for the word Flourish.
“In his days may the righteous flourish and peace abound, till the moon is no more.” Psalm 72:7
“As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes” Psalm 103:15
“May the LORD cause you to flourish, both you and your children” Psalms 115:14
And a few other quotes I found with the word Flourish in them
‘Who do you think you are?’ That’s the big one, isn’t it? A flourishing life depends on how you answer that. Robert Fulghum
When we tend to the areas of life that are important to us, when we make those things a priority, that’s when we will flourish in those areas. Victoria Osteen
There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish. Warren Bennis
To have produced a product where I had total creative control and see it flourish is like watching a baby grow. Karrueche Tran
May your December be full of flourishing. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
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