It’s not often I crave to see the backside of a calendar year, but between Covid-19, political hijinks, and personal issues, 2020 was something of a dumpster fire. Good thing the pandemic kept me in the house, or I might have been tempted to run into the street screaming. Oh, be honest – many of you felt that way too! The year wasn’t a total loss, so allow me to share some of the good stuff.
Health. I was very fortunate to have remained healthy throughout the year, along with my sons, extended family, and close friends. (Good thing, too, as I am still without health insurance.)
Finances. The mask requirement in my state cost me my job in early July (long story), but I found a temporary position that met my financial needs until recently. My new job starts tomorrow!
Writing. I released two books in 2020, and my royalties more than doubled for the last nine months of the year. My current MS is roughly 75% complete with a tentative February publication date.
Looking ahead, I still have many of the same goals I set last year and never achieved. There’s only so much I can do while still working full time, so I have to be realistic about what can be accomplished without giving myself a guilt trip. Some of the snooty know-it-alls out there would say I am “not serious about the craft” or that I need to make more sacrifices. I don’t accept that kind of shaming, as every writer labors under different personal circumstances and limitations.
Instead, I choose to use my limited time to focus on writing and publishing new material, with a goal of four books per year. No classes, social media, daily blog posts, or other things that steal precious time. I will, of course, incorporate anything new I happen to learn along the way—something I have done from the beginning.
Eventually, when my circumstances change, I hope to be well-positioned with a generous selection of back titles. Once I’m able to devote more time to writing, those books will help drive sales and get me where I want to be in retirement.
Like you, I have no idea what 2021 will bring. I hope we get the pandemic under control and return to some semblance of normalcy. Regardless, I am blessed to have my writing as a creative outlet, to keep me busy and productive, to bring in a bit of cash, and to provide stories for others to enjoy.
Wishing you and yours a blessed and fruitful year!
Keep up the good work! I’ve found it much harder to keep up with everything now that I have a full-time job (and am DMing a campaign and am doing waaay too much social media and am still trying to read a lot). Don’t let people poo-pooh your process!
Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate the encouragement. You understand what I’m talking about! We all have to decide what merits our time and attention, no matter WHAT the gurus have to say. I hope you find a good balance this year.
I’m glad you mentioned reading, as I forgot to include it in the post. That’s another big club to get whacked with – “You cannot be a writer unless you are a (prolific) reader.” Yeah, I get that. Any idea how much TIME reading takes?? I DO read, fitting it in here and there, but I’d rather be writing my own stuff than reading someone else’s!