Oh hey, it’s another new year. 2024. It’s also the year before I turn 50, so do with that what you will.
As you all know by now, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but this year I kind of sort of have a few. I’m not calling them resolutions because then my weirdo brain will skitter away and any chance I had of succeeding will disappear faster than the eight dozen cutout Christmas cookies I made.
Okay, those didn’t disappear as fast as I wish they had, but they ARE gone.
Most of my resolutions I’m keeping to myself, but the biggest one focuses on writing. As in, I want to write.
That’s my resolution.
When I took a step back from the marketing side of writing last spring, it turned into a break from absolutely everything related to writing — including writing itself. Within weeks of declaring my sabbatical, I stopped writing altogether.
For months.
It was the longest break I’ve taken since I started writing seriously in 2007, and wow did I need it. During that time, I figured out what wasn’t working in the book I’d been working on, but when I tried to tackle what needed to change, my heart wasn’t in it. I did my best of staying in the routine of parking my butt in my writing chair in the mornings, but I couldn’t even tell you what I was doing during that time. As the end of 2023 neared, I knew I needed to find a way to get back in the habit, so I came up with a month-long writing challenge for myself that started December 1st.
Three days in and I came up with a new book idea. This happens a lot — you should SEE my ideas folder — but as my newly rediscovered creativity gained strength, I worked on an outline, timeline, and character bible. I’m not far enough into the story to talk about it yet, but it’s going to challenge me in a lot of ways. I’m nervous and excited and feeling something else I haven’t in awhile:
HOPE.
^^^ Do you know what that is? It’s my word of the year. It feels incredibly weak and unimaginative, but that’s more or less where my brain’s been for the past 7-8 months, so I’ll take it.
As summer rolled into fall, I worried that I might not find my way back to writing. I knew I loved it, but I also knew I was enjoying having extra time to follow other passions. (I’ve been taking ice skating lessons since October!)
But I hoped that I would.
I want to keep publishing my stories for all of you to read, but ending with three trilogies also felt like a tidy ending. But I hoped that wasn’t the end of writing for me.
Telling stories is still my passion, and I want to keep delighting and surprising and entertaining you. And I hope that you’ll continue to support me and read my stories about my imaginary friends.
