A lot happened with me professionally in 2016. I successfully negotiated my first publishing contract without an agent, and my work will now be published in French, also a debut for me. I went on my first writing job interview in person since 1989 (which I think is also the last time I put on pantyhose.) I booked ghost writing projects with my clients that will keep me busy writing fiction until Fall of 2017, and probably beyond that. As for the interview, I got the job -- I'm now working as a staff copywriter for a design firm -- and I will be part of a very talented team creating a new quarterly print magazine.Losing 30 lbs. took almost the entire year, but I did it with sensible, healthy changes to my diet and exercise routine. It was slow and tough, but I hope to keep at it so I can lose the last 20 lbs. I need to shed in order to be at a healthy weight. I also successfully pulled off my secret art project for 2016 with Valerean, my anonymous Tumblr blog, which provided a lovely, private creative outlet. Participating in Library Thing's Early Reviewers Program brought eight free ARCs to my doorstep, saving me $149.27 on my 2016 book budget.
Personally I think I failed as much as I succeeded this past year. I put off trying to figure out indy publishing in 2015, and I haven't gotten back to that (and with my clients and the new job, I probably won't have a lot of time this year to dabble in it.) I let the pinheads annoy me so much I had to unplug from the internet and retreat to the ivory tower for a couple months to cool down. After more than a decade of blogging daily, and writing free fiction for my readers weekly for the last couple years, I had to curtail my posting to twice a week and back-burner the latest free story. I didn't have time to participate in NaNoWriMo last month. I didn't support my writer pals as much as I would have liked to.
In the big-picture sense, 2016 wasn't all sunshine and roses for most of us. I'm not going to get into why (that would attract more pinheads) but I'm sorry that the dark and evil prevailed so often.
Since I've taken off so much time from the blog in 2016 I'm going to skip the usual best-of links list. I'm also not heading into 2017 with a theme or resolutions or a huge list of goals. We live in dangerous times, and it's easy to see the new wave of dark and evil looming on every horizon. I'm simply going to focus instead on my family and friends, the work, and being part of the light -- however I can.
How was 2016 for you? Any plans for 2017? Let us know in comments.
2016 was by no means a picnic for anybody. Besides interpersonal issues with co-workers and boss at work, I also got to watch my country slip even deeper down the drain. Unfortunately this was not isolated to my country alone. 2016 left me deeply concerned for my friends and family in the USA, some of whom are of colour and members of the LGBT community.
ReplyDeleteI failed NaNo 2016, but I did manage to get past 25,000 words, which was more than I realistically expected, but less than I would have liked. I had a lot of fun trying, but I don't think I will be doing word sprints again next year. Although good for word count, it was an absolute disaster for my creative process.
For 2017, I plan to look into travelling more. I'd like to visit my family in Germany and make a side-trip into Finland if I can manage it. A couple of friends and I also plan to overcome our fear of sea travel by taking a cruise...
It's been almost three years since my partner and I broke up. For 2017, I plan to put myself out there again, meet some new people. It's been pointed out to me by my ever-butt-kicking fag-hags that I can't just shut that side of me down. So on top of everything else, I shall attempt the dating game again. Ugh...
Creatively... get some more writing done. Maybe tackle a little story-telling project using images from Sims4 to create a sort of graphic novel. A friend of mine did this successfully a few years ago and I've been itching to give it a shot myself.
May 2017 bring us all better things. Less dark and more light.
Certainly can't say 2016 was the greatest of years. The health didn't recover as much as I'd hoped, so I've had to make adjustments. I also let myself become too involved in the election debacle, which was painful. And so many great people passed this year! It was bordering on supernatural. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteFor 2017? Big plan to stop smoking once & for all. To become more balanced. And to do what I want with my writing.
2016 was a weird year globally. For the UK Brexit was the big issue and much to my shock the country decided to vote us out. The vote took place on my birthday, and coincided with my decision to put my flat up for sale. It's been a big year for me on a personal front, the main decision being to sell my flat and move from the South to the North, close to my family. The shock is trying to find a new job at 56 after spending the last 20 years in the same job. It's a whole different world out there! I look forward to completing the move, finding a new job and making new friends in 2017.
ReplyDeleteI never got worked up about much in 2016. Social media drove so many people insane with fake news and over reaction. I've been around long enough to know that the world runs on a pendulum. Some events don't always unfold within a lifetime so people think it's cataclysmic when in actuality it's moving as planned.
ReplyDelete2016 was a good year for me because I worked hard to make it so. No loved ones died on me last year. That alone makes it a very good year.
Happy 2017, Lynn! I predict good things for you!