Happy New Year 2020!

2019 is over, and with it a whole decade comes to a close. The year passed in a flash, probably due to a consistently busy work schedule. All of the 2010s passed by slowly though. It's hard to believe that so much had changed between 2009 and now.

In ten years, I lived and worked in three different places--from England to Utah to Georgia. In each place, I've met so many different people, many of whom have offered lessons, connections, and even fond memories. Each workplace offered their fair share of challenges. In each place I called a home, there were beautiful landscapes, fascinating history, and unique cultures worth exploring.

In 2019, I've had the chance the see several interesting new sights. While my mother attended a conference in Atlanta, I went to see Stone Mountain Park, where a massive mural is engraved in the side of a massive granite mound. In April, I flew with my dad to Seattle, where we visited family members we hadn't seen in a long time and catch up with them. It was also a chance to see the tulip festival, museums (including the LeMays Car Museum and the National Nordic Museum), and picturesque sites in surrounding towns (including a Bavarian town called Leavenworth). Later in the summer, I saw the city of Norfolk and I took a tour of the USS Wisconsin--an Iowa-class battleship that had served during WWII and the Cold War, but is now docked in the city and open to the public. Towards the end of the year, I saw the town of Camden, which hosted a reenactment from the Revolutionary War. These were all rather short trips, but it was far more than I had in the previous year. I probably have as many memories as I do photos.

Outside from these excursions, I've spent my time simply working and going home every day. Same as it was last year. There are a few things that have never changed in the past decade--as I did in 2009, I still watch quite a large amount of films and play video games. I've written several manuscripts, some short stories, but over the past five years or so my understanding of the craft changed dramatically. It happened because I did something I should have done years ago--I sought critiques from other writers, and it underscored problems that I never even knew I had. It's caused me to change the way I write most pieces, and in turn it's caused me to see other works (books and films alike) in a more critical light. The learning process is still ongoing and will likely never end.

This has been one of a few things that made me realize that I may not know as much as I think I do. I thought I knew about writing and storytelling, but it's become clear that there are lessons, techniques, and patterns I was oblivious to. But even in other aspects of life--such as my other hobbies, my knowledge in the workplace, my interactions with people--things I thought I knew turn out to be wrong.

With these shortcomings in mind, it is my intention to achieve a better level of personal discipline this year. In part, it means learning to be patient, listen more, and stop assuming I know all the answers. I hope to improve my attitude, regardless of how cynical the rest of the world becomes.

In other respects to obtaining discipline, I also wish to control my time and actions in a way that facilitates my other goals. One of those goals is to lower my weight--it is something I thought I could control, but it's become apparent that my eating and exercise habits need more accountability, and that's a process that's already been implemented.

If I hope to become a better writer, I always hear that I need to read more. Maybe a lot more. Last year, I succeeded in reading 16 books all the way through--some of which were graphic novels. More should be easily possible, I just need to set aside the time for it. Doing so will mean cutting the amount of time I spend on movies, TV, and video games. Limiting those kinds of activities will probably do me good anyway.

At the same time, my media collection remains rather huge and full of titles that I have never seen. Many of these come from box sets I've collected. It would be nice to get through all 300 or so blind-buys, but one thing is certain: I will be collecting a lot less in the upcoming year.

Last year, I had the goal to have a new novel ready for publication. Or at least something presentable to beta readers. This never happened. Most of my manuscripts remain in pieces, and it's become clear to me that I need to do more work on plotting, outlining, and making developmental edits. I intend on spending more time to do this on old and new projects, but it may also mean more study, reading, or critiquing. Whether editing or doing actual writing, I'd like to make it a focus every day, even if for just an hour.

Those are the broad resolutions I have this year, and it amounts to becoming a better, healthier, more proactive person and a better writer. If I can keep it all up, I anticipate that the 2020s could be a successful decade, no matter how frightening the future and all its challenges and changes may be.