Hi. Long time no write.
When Stuart asked us all to write a blog about the New Year and share advice, the only thing I could think of was ‘why would anyone care what I had to say, it’s not as if I’ve written in the last year. Between Uni, my adult children, my own illness, and all of the other stuff I’m doing, and honestly, I don’t think horror readers would care about what I’m doing with infosec’. And then I realized, you just might, because one of the things I did this year, finally found my way back from burnout.
Burnout city, population….variable?
The last few years are probably the sort of years many can relate to though, possibly not all in one burst. In the last three years, since my last fiction book was published, I’ve had to close parts of my company, discovered that my mental health is anything but straightforward, and actually, probably the weirdest combination known to man (aspie+a form of issues with language processing that goes the other way from normal (fussiness about definition to the point of pedantry, CPTSD and bipolar disorder. I’m just a bundle of fun 🙂 ), and I’ve been doing therapy to train me out of my automatic reactions to upset and worry/fear/panic which has taken up a lot of my time. I also got involved in the information security (Cyber-sec) community and started a degree. And while I’ve always been involved in Nanowrimo, this year was actually really quite nice, because by November, the stories were whispering again! Admittedly, the stories had to, we ended up with so much more going on in our world (the word three kidneys and my son feature quite prominently, to be honest), so my time is spent, most of the time, in waiting rooms, and I’m learning my way around an Android tablet, and actually, finding joy in my writing.
And that’s what hit me the hardest. For so long, I’ve worked very hard to ‘work’ at my writing. It’s been a chore and often ends up being something I avoid. I commit to stuff, and then end up being overwhelmed, and then get into a loop, and I finally learned this year how to avoid that.
My three tips for the New Year
So, with that in mind, here are my three tips for the New Year, and new decade.
- Self-care is not a bad word, and neither is no: I’m not very good at saying no, and I’m even worse at knowing when to stop, and it’s a very common thing in creatives. So…while you’re slogging it at everything else, remember it’s ok to say no, and make time for yourself.
- Write every day – edit when you’re happy – this might seem a bit of a weird one, but I’m pretty sure that if I just write and not worry about it, I’ll find it far easier to edit when I feel less pressure over it. I’m not saying ignore deadlines – far from it. But I am saying that editing isn’t something I always need to be in the mindset for and honestly, that’s ok.
- Read, read, read. My Goodreads listing, which doesn’t include most audiobooks I listened to, has me at 120+ books. I’m really delighted with that because reading was hard this year. And so, I’m upping my goal. I’m doing 150 next year. I’ll be reviewing some on Netgalley (and maybe bringing horror ones over here), and working on other books as time permits.
Did I say three
? Well, here’s a bonus. If you’re really looking to give yourself a kick in the pants, shoot for the moon. Make a big pledge, and make it in front of as many people as possible. So. Gulp. Here’s mine.
I’m going to write a million words, I’m going to publish at least 12 books and 8 novellas. I’m doing some boxed sets and anthologies and entering as many short story projects as catch my attention. I’m taking this year, and beginning this decade and I’m hoping to do it and do my degree, but if I don’t, that’s ok. I’m going for it, but it’s a lofty goal, so though I’m sharing it loudly, if I miss, I’ll have things to talk about.
What are your plans for the new year, and are you coming off burnout, or trying to avoid it (I’ll write about that later in the year). Whatever it is, good luck, and I hope you keep visiting the site for markets, advice, and information.
2022 was a bit of an ongoing horror story for me, with this volume of the trilogy reboot starting in 2019 (see what I did there?). In all seriousness, I went into 2022 saying it was going to be my year. I was so gung ho.
? Well, here’s a bonus. If you’re really looking to give yourself a kick in the pants, shoot for the moon. Make a big pledge, and make it in front of as many people as possible. So. Gulp. Here’s mine.
