2020.
Honestly, I don’t really know how to talk about this year. Part of me feels pretty damn bitter about all it took away. I also feel like, though my posts were fairly scarce, the ones I did write were generally about the year. About how I was feeling and coping and all the rest. I don’t know if there’s much else to say.
I’m trying to think of positives. Things that were good about this trash-fire year. I spent a lot of time with Trevor, and we never once felt like murdering each other, so that’s good! I went on quite a few hikes despite social distancing requirements and forest fires. I spent a weekend at the coast. I snorkeled for agates in the river. I volunteered at The Willamette Writers Conference.
That’s probably the best thing to come out of this year — I’ve really established a sense of writing community that I didn’t have before, because I am introverted as all hell. In person I am the wallflower chilling with the pets and watching everyone else have a good time. But online? I am so much more myself talking through a webcam in the safety of my own home. And that allowed me to really branch out and meet new people.
Hopefully I won’t clam up once I meet all these people in person.
Now, let’s get to the good part. What the hell did I WANT to do in 2020?
First, we can’t talk about the year without talking about the intention. Last year’s word was REPLENISH.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. There was very little about 2020 that was relaxing or replenishing. It was mostly exhausting, but I did my best. I took my rest where I could and I guess that’s something.
2020 Goals
- Revise Tavi
- Read!
- Submit two short stories
- Write book reviews
How’d I do?
- Revise Tavi
- Kinda. It’s on the second draft and I’m feeling just about ready to dig back into it. I’ll probably have to start over at this point because it’s been so long, but I’m feeling okay about it.
- Read!
- Yep! I read 41 books (maybe 42 if I finish The Ten Thousand Doors of January tonight) this year. Not too shabby since I didn’t really have a “goal” this year. I just wanted to read whatever sounded good. Standouts were The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Middlegame, Destroy All Monsters, and The Starless Sea.
- Submit two short stories
- Yep! Technically I think it was three stories submitted this year if I count Unforgettable. So, that’s nice.
- Write book reviews
- Uhhhhh. Not really. I think I wrote one or two this year. I did video book reviews for the first time, which was fun but super time consuming. I’m not sure I prefer them to blog posts.
Two out of four isn’t bad. It isn’t great, but considering the year we had, I’ll take it.
2020 Total Word Count: 103,989
I’ve noticed a trend with my word counts. I tend to write most November through April, which makes sense since those are the months that I’m stuck indoors thanks to the long, wet Oregon winters. As soon as the weather turns somewhat decent I’m restless to get outdoors. I want to use this info to play into my own rhythms and tendencies. So, I plan to draft new works in the fall and winter, and revise and research in the spring and summer. Honestly, I think I’ve probably already been doing this, but adding some intention to the behavior should help.
Right?
That’s what I thought.
Honorable Mentions
I had two short stories published this year! The Cost of Rain and Unforgettable both pubbed this year, and in a nice change of pace, I was paid for both of them! Not much payment, nothing near pro-rate, but it’s better than the token publications I’ve had in the past.
I went on seven hikes! Not nearly as many as I’d originally hoped, but I am so grateful for the time I spent outdoors this year. Nature really saved me when nothing else could.
Also, I just want to shout out Willamette Writers in general. Their “Coffee at Your Kitchen Table” Zoom meetings were the highlight of those early lockdown days. That highlight turned into making new writing friends, volunteering at the conference, and co-hosting the Saturday “coffee” meetings that drew me in the first place. In this one respect, 2020 was an awesome year.
So, now what?
First things first, what’s the word, the mantra, the intention? That word that will steer me straight when I feel lost.
COMMIT
After a year of replenishing (haha) and generally feeling a bit aimless, it’s time to reorient and decide what my goals are and what I really want to do. Then I dig down and DO it.
So, what do I want to do?
- Revise Tavi
- I want to call this book DONE no later than October 1, 2021. That’s nine months to revise and rewrite and polish. I feel like that is plenty of time
- Read 52 books (1 writing craft book/quarter)
- Pretty straightforward. I want to read more this coming year and refocus on my craft.
- Submit 3 NEW short stories
- This seems big, but I spent this November writing short stories. I have two ready to revise and polish, and two more in various drafting stages. I should be able to do this no problem.
- Start Roxana Lewis novel
- I had a new idea for a book this year that tried to run away with me in November. I need to do a lot of research and brainstorm a bit, so I don’t want to work on it until October. I’ll spend the month consolidating research and outlining (or something like it) and then work on the book for Nanowrimo.
So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. This is where I’m going. Thanks for joining me.
Talk soon Bloggarts,
BZ