Really, Where DID 2011 Go?
To those of you all excited about the beginning of 2012: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
To those of you feeling a little jet-lagged by the sudden ending of 2011: Know the feeling. Maybe we'll all get better at getting used to how quickly time flies next year.
I'm feeling just the slightest bit depressed, because I would have liked to have more to speak for at the end of this year; but that's life.
2011 was not a year for me to become a published novelist; it was a year for me to finish the first draft of the first novel I mean to submit to publishers, after having worked on it for roughly 18 months. I learned a lot about writing this year--primarily how little writing gets done if I don't stay focused and dedicated.
2012 will be a year for me write its sequel and then edit both manuscripts within an inch of their lives. We'll see if it will take all year to do that, or whether I'll surprise myself and get it done sooner. The first draft of the first book was supposed to take only 6 months . . .
2011 was not a year for me to spend all my time pursuing my hobbies; it was a year for me to learn to (somewhat) adjust to the demands of working part-time in retail, and start developing a sizable nest egg. I learned how to (somewhat) submit to a schedule, where I had to be at a certain place at a certain time, after being a spoiled rotten homeschool girl that stayed home and did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted all day long, so long as she got her schoolwork done by the end of the day. (I really, really miss my days as a senior in high school. Except for the Calculus and the anxiety about learning to drive. I don't miss that at all.)
2012 will be a year for me to keep on working in retail, even though I feel stifled, and all I want to do is quit. I need to learn to minimize the strain I feel, being surrounded by strangers and having to suppress my instinctive shyness and reserve. I need to train myself until I can come out of my shell, smile, and be friendly without a taxing effort--and without compromising my true personality. I don't want to have to act or be phony.
2011 was a year for me to finally emerge from lurkdom, get an LJ, and work off steam and stress by making and posting icons and making friends (some of whose journals I'd been lurking on for years).
And also become lethally addicted to tumblr. :)
2012 will be a year for me to better learn how to manage my time, so I can post regularly without letting the internet take precedence over my work. To really, really push and challenge myself; to apply myself; to discipline myself; to buckle down and see what I can accomplish when I pour my whole soul in writing. And also to learn to balance that dedication, so that it doesn't become a drudgery.
That's one of the things I fear most. Drudgery.
Probably a fear I should learn to overcome in 2012. We'll see how that goes . . .
To those of you feeling a little jet-lagged by the sudden ending of 2011: Know the feeling. Maybe we'll all get better at getting used to how quickly time flies next year.
I'm feeling just the slightest bit depressed, because I would have liked to have more to speak for at the end of this year; but that's life.
2011 was not a year for me to become a published novelist; it was a year for me to finish the first draft of the first novel I mean to submit to publishers, after having worked on it for roughly 18 months. I learned a lot about writing this year--primarily how little writing gets done if I don't stay focused and dedicated.
2012 will be a year for me write its sequel and then edit both manuscripts within an inch of their lives. We'll see if it will take all year to do that, or whether I'll surprise myself and get it done sooner. The first draft of the first book was supposed to take only 6 months . . .
2011 was not a year for me to spend all my time pursuing my hobbies; it was a year for me to learn to (somewhat) adjust to the demands of working part-time in retail, and start developing a sizable nest egg. I learned how to (somewhat) submit to a schedule, where I had to be at a certain place at a certain time, after being a spoiled rotten homeschool girl that stayed home and did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted all day long, so long as she got her schoolwork done by the end of the day. (I really, really miss my days as a senior in high school. Except for the Calculus and the anxiety about learning to drive. I don't miss that at all.)
2012 will be a year for me to keep on working in retail, even though I feel stifled, and all I want to do is quit. I need to learn to minimize the strain I feel, being surrounded by strangers and having to suppress my instinctive shyness and reserve. I need to train myself until I can come out of my shell, smile, and be friendly without a taxing effort--and without compromising my true personality. I don't want to have to act or be phony.
2011 was a year for me to finally emerge from lurkdom, get an LJ, and work off steam and stress by making and posting icons and making friends (some of whose journals I'd been lurking on for years).
And also become lethally addicted to tumblr. :)
2012 will be a year for me to better learn how to manage my time, so I can post regularly without letting the internet take precedence over my work. To really, really push and challenge myself; to apply myself; to discipline myself; to buckle down and see what I can accomplish when I pour my whole soul in writing. And also to learn to balance that dedication, so that it doesn't become a drudgery.
That's one of the things I fear most. Drudgery.
Probably a fear I should learn to overcome in 2012. We'll see how that goes . . .