The Earth completes a rotation around the sun, and 2018 A.D. passes into history. Even though it seemed to pass swiftly and uneventfully, it feels long in retrospect. For me, it's hard to fathom that just one year ago I had moved across multiple states and settled into a new home. I spent 365 days working consistently, taking far less leave than usual up until the end. In spite of that, the days passed one after another, then weeks, then months.
It wasn't all no-nonsense work though. I've had some respite visiting some of the local sights in South Carolina (primarily Charleston and Beaufort) and I saw a Civil War reenactment in Aiken. Haven't had any grand excursions like I had in Utah or overseas, but I find that after a major move I tend to spend a year or so in one place, becoming acclimated to the environment.
Living in Georgia, I have to say I severely underestimated the summer heat. No level of warning can really prepare anyone for the sheer humidity of the south. It's dense enough to drive me indoors most days. It's not all horrible though--I wanted to get away from winter snow, and for the last two years I haven't seen a single snowflake. Somewhere between 40 and 60 degree weather, this area feels great around this time of year.
As far as everything else goes, I have no complaints. The area has its fair share of nice places and things to do. There are places to explore still, especially historic places with Civil War heritage and earlier. Libraries and writing groups are a little far from me, but I have partook in them occasionally.
That's pretty much all I accomplished this year--living day to day going from work to home again. Now and then I've been inspired to write and rewrite things, but critiques I get back caused me to shut a lot of projects down to either rethink, restart, or outright scrap them. It has become a discouraging process, and I've spent some months producing nothing as a result.
I may have learned a thing or two about the craft--maybe enough to polish a story, but not quite enough to make a story worthwhile. But after seeing so many other stories and understanding how they work (or don't work), I can't help but to look back on my older ideas and find them droll, cliched, uninspiring, and flat. Character and voice can pump more life into these stories, but changing those things after the fact is a long and complex process I haven't been able to pull off successfully. It's also a process that inherently changes a story, potentially into something it wasn't meant to be.
What's occurred to me lately is not just story ideas, but a concept for a brand of sorts. I never pinpointed any specific thing that makes my stories unique to me, until I realized one subtle element that crops up in most of my projects. They all feature something that comes from another reality. Given that this sometimes relies on multiverse theory or some other trope, the possibility opens to connect my stories as a shared literary universe. Doing so had the surprising effect of creating unity and focus, which in turn has made me more excited over my old projects. Plans are coming together to revitalize my writing. I hope to produce something--at least one thing--that can be considered truly finished by the end of 2019.
Goals
Last year I had the vague goal to stop feeling shame and fear. Some of that may have come from the world at large and the media's constant coverage over how doomed we all are. 2018 had its share of bad news--it seemed like every piece of news I saw was political catastrophes or environmental doomsaying. In my day-to-day life, fear and shame had ways of spilling over me from the people around me. Even in a new environment, I sometimes wondered if I measured up and met everyone's expectations.
It might not be possible to escape such broad feelings, but I do believe I can handle it better now than before. Since I feel more at-ease, I figure my singular goal had been achieved.
This year, I have more specific goals in mind--things that are measurable. In 2019, I plan to:
- Lose weight. Again? Yes, unfortunately, I have gained quite a bit over the past year. I already exercise 3-5 days a week--with more focus on eating habits, I plan to get back to the 200lb range (which would require about 40 lbs of weight loss).
- Read more. Firstly, because it's one thing writers everywhere say makes you a better writer--the more you read, the more knowledge and empowerment you can find regarding the craft. I also have a ton of books I picked up and never bothered touching again. In 2018, I managed to read 31 books. Next year, I want to make it through 50.
- Write more, with the intention of writing every day and producing one finished product by the year's end.
- Sketch more. I have the tools and the desire to produce something eye-catching, especially in support of my writing projects. With more practice and time, I hope to improve my skills and make something that looks genuinely nice.
Chances are good that I'll have some more travels happening in the next year, which will impact time and planning for certain months. Life in general has a way to take time away, but when it's in the good company of family and friends, it'll be time well-spent.
So much has changed in the last few years and so much will change in 2019. I plan to make positive, productive changes. If you are too, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
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