Wow. Has it been a crazy year or something? 2020 already started as a weird year for me. I went into it with zero plans. No word of the year. No resolutions. Nothing. I decided to let 2020 show me what it was going to be. Well, hell. It sure showed me. I feel like 2020 was the year of March, since that’s the month our state officially shut down due to the pandemic. Suddenly, time made up its own rules, whipping through months while also lasting forever. This was the longest, fastest month-year I’ve ever experienced.
Did we even have a summer? What happened to Christmas? Is March ever going to end? What day is it?
When the pandemic started, I temporarily moved my day job to my home office (a desk in the corner of my dining room). I had all these grand visions. With all this brand new time I had thanks to my 2-minute commute, I was going to write up a storm. Little did I know that my creative energy would plummet. I know I’m not alone in this. In my daydreams, all I needed was a lot more downtime and I could whip out a couple novels. But the reality is, it’s hard to find inspiration when you’re staring at the same four walls day in and day out, surrounded by your family who develop new annoying habits every day, and your biggest decision is which pair of sweatpants are the cleanest to wear.
Thankfully, this dry spell was temporary. In July, inspiration hit in the form of a song on a newly released album, and I wrote my next novel, For the Birds.
This year, I dedicate my energy to this book while I edit it and then shop it to agents and publishers. And I plan to take you on my journey. This is what you can expect from this blog in 2021 – sneak peeks at the novel, a deep dive into the characters, and regular updates on how the novel is doing and the process I go through as I seek out a traditional publishing path.
We’re not supposed to say “2021 is my year,” but I’m definitely excited to leave 2020 in my dust!
Another 2021 goal I have is to be more present. With so many digital distractions, increasing responsibilities, and a million “shoulds,” it’s so easy to miss the blessings that are all around us. I plan to make more time for sunrises and sunsets, for meaningful conversations, for sitting in stillness., and for noticing the world around me.
Finally, in 2021 I plan to take small steps toward overcoming my introvert tendencies by sharing what’s going on with me. This blog is a start of that.
Here’s what you can expect from me in this blog through January:
- January 4: Read about how I celebrate when I finish writing a novel
- January 8: Meet Cricket Stone, the main character of For the Birds
- January 11: Learn the inspiration behind For the Birds (hint: it started with a song!)
- January 15: Read about Cricket’s super weird klepto habit (wait till you find out what she steals!)
- January 18: Find your next book from this list of reader’s favorites
- January 22: Read an excerpt from For the Birds
- January 25: Learn about the tools I use to keep my characters and storylines organized when I’m writing.
- January 29: Find out what books I read in January
Are you ready for 2021 to start? I sure am!
You go, girl! Can’t wait to watch your process.
Thank you, Connie!