Looking Back, Looking Forward
On the whole 2023 was a fairly decent year. I more than doubled my income from my writing -- I haven't made so much on that front since the days when I was cranking out articles in job lots for ready-reference publishers, back in the mid-noughts. Of course putting out a collection and re-releasing a serialized novel helped, but I got a fair amount of sales on some other works. And I managed to write a story for every one of the special submission opportunities, and one for an open anthology call.
Retail sales were a mixed bag. We had a very strong start, with two conventions that did very well for us, but then it was a slow slip-slide downward, to the point that the last three conventions of the year were a disappointment. I'd hoped we'd do better when we pivoted to online, but even that is being a real disappointment. It seems people really are cutting back on their spending.
Gardening also started off strong, then fizzled. I finally got supports for the snow peas and sugar snap peas, which made harvesting them much easier and probably increased their yields. But about then was when con season really got going and my available time was reduced. I did get a decent amount of green and Italian beans and a fair amount of squash, but the tomato and pepper plants never really thrived. I don't know whether it was weak root systems or insect pests, but they just didn't grow very well. At least I was spared the bunnypocalypse that hit my brothers' garden at Dad's place.
Another good thing was finally getting some answers on my husband's dizzy spells and intermittent chest pain. After a lengthy sequence of tests, we finally have him lined up for the necessary treatment to correct the problem.
Right now I'm both hopeful and uneasy about the new year. Ever since I realized that we were winding up the 2023 show season with Grand Rapids Comic Con, just like we did the 2019 show season, I've been having that spidey-sense tingly feeling. At least we didn't have to drive back home in a snowstorm -- but 2024 is a Presidential election year, just like 2020, and there's a lot of crazy in the world. Not just on the international scene, with Mr. Putin's war in Ukraine dragging on even as we're all trying to deal with the horrors of 10/7 and its aftermath, but the uptick in everyday crazy in our daily lives. It's leaking out in a lot of people's driving, so being on the road isn't as pleasant, and people are more tightly wound, so that the slightest awkwardness in a store or on the street can turn into an emotional explosion.
I'm just hoping that tomorrow's procedure will get my husband back in at least reasonably good health for his age, and we'll be home reasonably quickly. And I'm hoping for no more health surprises, both for my immediate family and the larger circle of relations (to be honest, I'm becoming increasingly concerned about my dad and how much longer he'll be able to live independently).
And of course I'm hoping for a good year financially, both on the writing front and the retail front. Of course there's always the possibility of one or another of the things going on in the greater world shutting down the convention scene -- but if that does happen again, I want to find a way to stay productive on the writing front instead of spinning my wheels like I did in 2020. I could've finished and published so many of the half-finished works in my filing cabinets if I could've just maintained focus and pushed forward.
I do have the seeds for my 2024 garden, so even if things do fall apart on the retail front, I have the wherewithal to do my plantings. If nothing else, physical labor in the garden can help the mind -- and we should have some good fresh food from it.
At this point, all we can do is see which way things go.
Retail sales were a mixed bag. We had a very strong start, with two conventions that did very well for us, but then it was a slow slip-slide downward, to the point that the last three conventions of the year were a disappointment. I'd hoped we'd do better when we pivoted to online, but even that is being a real disappointment. It seems people really are cutting back on their spending.
Gardening also started off strong, then fizzled. I finally got supports for the snow peas and sugar snap peas, which made harvesting them much easier and probably increased their yields. But about then was when con season really got going and my available time was reduced. I did get a decent amount of green and Italian beans and a fair amount of squash, but the tomato and pepper plants never really thrived. I don't know whether it was weak root systems or insect pests, but they just didn't grow very well. At least I was spared the bunnypocalypse that hit my brothers' garden at Dad's place.
Another good thing was finally getting some answers on my husband's dizzy spells and intermittent chest pain. After a lengthy sequence of tests, we finally have him lined up for the necessary treatment to correct the problem.
Right now I'm both hopeful and uneasy about the new year. Ever since I realized that we were winding up the 2023 show season with Grand Rapids Comic Con, just like we did the 2019 show season, I've been having that spidey-sense tingly feeling. At least we didn't have to drive back home in a snowstorm -- but 2024 is a Presidential election year, just like 2020, and there's a lot of crazy in the world. Not just on the international scene, with Mr. Putin's war in Ukraine dragging on even as we're all trying to deal with the horrors of 10/7 and its aftermath, but the uptick in everyday crazy in our daily lives. It's leaking out in a lot of people's driving, so being on the road isn't as pleasant, and people are more tightly wound, so that the slightest awkwardness in a store or on the street can turn into an emotional explosion.
I'm just hoping that tomorrow's procedure will get my husband back in at least reasonably good health for his age, and we'll be home reasonably quickly. And I'm hoping for no more health surprises, both for my immediate family and the larger circle of relations (to be honest, I'm becoming increasingly concerned about my dad and how much longer he'll be able to live independently).
And of course I'm hoping for a good year financially, both on the writing front and the retail front. Of course there's always the possibility of one or another of the things going on in the greater world shutting down the convention scene -- but if that does happen again, I want to find a way to stay productive on the writing front instead of spinning my wheels like I did in 2020. I could've finished and published so many of the half-finished works in my filing cabinets if I could've just maintained focus and pushed forward.
I do have the seeds for my 2024 garden, so even if things do fall apart on the retail front, I have the wherewithal to do my plantings. If nothing else, physical labor in the garden can help the mind -- and we should have some good fresh food from it.
At this point, all we can do is see which way things go.