Is 2020 Actually Over?
I’m really hating this blogging trend I seem to be on regarding, uh, saying that every year is the worst year ever. Surely this time I’m not over-exaggerating. 2020 takes the cake. You all know why.
Writing
Writing pretty much (almost) made up for the horrors of 202o. This felt like a year of growth for me as a writer. Remember last year’s blog when I said I would be using Scrivener and Lisa Cron’s STORY GENIUS to create new writing habits? Well, I did it, Reader. I did it. And it’s made a world of difference for me.
Transitioning from my old writing habits to the new ones went a lot faster thanks to the pandemic. Hate to say it, but it’s true.
Being able to work entirely from home freed up time I had sacrificed daily to the Gods of Commuter Traffic. Sure, I missed out on two hours a day of daydreaming, but in exchange I could do AM writing. My brain works best in the morning. I have truly loved waking up, grabbing my iPad, and cranking out another scene all before the sun comes up and I have to eat breakfast and log in for work. It makes the rest of the day feel right; like, no matter what else happens, I know I met my writing goal for the day.
So how did I do? I finished two manuscripts and wrote half of a third one this year. Stats below:
Finished First Drafts:
YA #1: 81,960 words
YA #2: 87,334 words
In Progress First Drafts:
YA Book #3 of Trilogy: 50,870 words
While having the time to write is one thing, blueprinting my scenes also made a significant difference. I use the STORY GENIUS method of blueprinting which allows me to not only plot the action ahead of time, but also track character growth and motivation. It’s taken a lot of the stress out of drafting for me. I may have officially hung up my status as a panster this year.
Speaking of motivation, my friends have been vital. The pandemic hasn’t slowed any of us down. After overcoming the initial shock of COVID’s arrival in our world, writing felt like the only thing I could do to move forward and not let the year go to waste. I’ve read fantastic manuscripts written by talent friends this year and received encouragement in return for my own projects. Oftentimes it was a funny text or a lengthy phone call my buds that would get my creative blood pumping. I was able to return to the page again and again thanks to that open line of communication.
2020 shook up the publishing industry as well, causing a great many changes. As the year winds down to its final days, I have some big decisions of my own to make regarding my future projects and how I will be querying them. I can’t say enough how much 2020 has been a year of growth.
What else did I discover in the last quarter of 2020? How to write for fun again.
I know, I know. That sounds backwards. Don’t I always write for fun? Isn’t that the point? Not always. Or rather, not completely. I have dedicated so much time and energy to finding a home for my next book(s) that somewhere along the way, I forgot the joys of writing just to experiment and explore and share. I hadn’t even written a short story since graduate school (I had come out of the program burnt out—no ideas at all for short stories, only novels). So did I decide to do about it? I joined Laini Taylor’s Patreon (one of my favorite authors!) and challenged myself to create small stories from the prompts she provided. It was just the inspiration I needed. Even without her prompts, I feel like I can now crank out a little story every once in a while—something I would have found impossible only a few months ago.
I’ve been sharing these little experimental stories on Instagram under the hashtag #bitsofweirdandwhimsy
Thanks to the encouragement of an old friend, I’ve also been experimenting with other forms of writing I haven’t indulged in since high school! These renewed experiences have given me my joy of writing back and has also shown me that perhaps I’m not always as drained by the end of a day as I feel (there’s always time to write just one sentence more…).
Life
Not much to report this year in terms of exciting adventures. I had managed to squeeze in my usual annual Disney World trips in January and February right before the pandemic made its way here to the U.S. I’m so thankful I had gotten to go at all, because man, have things changed since.
Back in March, I was climbing the walls and disgusted with myself for reacting like that. I am a total homebody. I love staying home, wearing comfy clothes and just relaxing. People? Nah, I need a break from them after working all week. So why did I feel stir-crazy? I think it was because I had decided two years ago that I would get myself out of the house and actually do things. Like, fun things. Things I love like eating at new (to me) restaurants, exploring small towns, wandering through antique malls and museums and roadside attractions only a gas tank away. These little day trips on the weekends had been thrilling. Now I had to give them up, just like everyone else.
I discovered the joys of wearing masks in public. Ha. The good news is that I did not catch any colds this year. The bad news was/is having to battle mask acne (my acne is already awful, thanks, so I didn’t need this development) and foggy glasses. Through trial and error I found a mask shape that cuts down on the fog, but it’s still not perfect. I just try to struggle through it because I know that the masks are helping.
Little happy moments in 2020 include actually getting TV shows and movies watched. Again, working from home made this happen. Instead of eating at my desk at work or sitting in the cafeteria with coworkers, I got to knock out an episode or two during lunch. And the dinner. Dinner! No evening commute = more time to catch up with shows. Ah, it’s been a pleasure. I have a soft spot for old shows so this year has been filled with shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Mothers-in-Law, and The Munsters. Thanks to a friend introducing me to That Thing You Do!, I have been watching EVERYTHING Supermarionation and loving it. Lookit these cute little marionettes saving the world and stuff:
If you don’t believe me, try an episode of Thunderbirds or Stingray.
My To-Be-Read (TBR) piles shrunk dramatically thanks to staying home. I had three rather large piles in my room. Now I’m down to one (rather large pile). YAY.
And then I actually have completed FIVE FULL YEARS of journaling! I can’t believe it. I’ve been faithfully chronicling my life, such as it is, in one of those one paragraph a day journals. It’s been a blast.
I already have my new one for the next five years. I wish this had been a thing when I was in college and grad school because I would have loved to have been doing this then.
Goals for 2021:
Finish at least 1-2 new manuscripts
Make my last physical TBR pile disappear!
Continue writing short stories and other such fun extra writing projects
TRAVELING. Small travels in-state at least. I’m ready to resume adventuring.