Looking Ahead: 2019

I am the kind of person who likes to make ambitious New Years goals. A whole year is enough time to do almost anything, right? On the other hand, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in 45 years on this planet, it’s that making detailed plans too far in advance can be entertaining but is rarely useful.

Since this is my writing blog, I will stick to goals in that area. (I also have a cooking blog, indifferently updated. And a Goodreads. And a Ravelry. And….)

Goal #1: Finish Fairy Hills

This has been top of my list for years now, but I am finally making headway on the book again, and I just need to keep plugging. It has been way too long since I finished a project, and there are literally only a couple of weeks of determined work left between me and the end of this draft.

Goal #2: Keep Blogging

I have not, historically, been very good at maintaining a blog over the long term. I will strive to put out at least a brief weekly update of some kind. If nothing else, it should help me keep track of inputs and outputs. Less tangibly, it may help me get to grips with that perennial question: what am I trying to say, anyway, and why?

Goal #3: TBD

I had a hard time coming up with a third goal, though I gave it several days of thought. “Write another book” is obvious. Workshops and classes are out of reach right now. I could set myself the goal of writing something new and different–a short story? a personal essay?–but that felt off somehow. I don’t want to write something for purely abstract reasons, just because I said that I would.

So maybe what I need to do, per last week’s thoughts, is just… hold this space open, and see what happens in it. Something will come up.

Happy New Year! May we all find more of the things we need.