Let’s face it: December is always a ‘phew’ month for me.
Nine times out of ten, I’m taking a breather from NaNoWriMo. This year I finished with days to spare, and started working on the first pass-through before November ended.
Then, with the first of December…crushing stagnation…
With the holidays, I’m used to rushing around like a crazy woman, buying presents for family, friends, and co-workers, preparing for meals and days off, etc. This year, in our new house, with hardly any socializing on the schedule and no employees to worry about, I fell into a laziness I haven’t seen in many years.
I’m usually too busy to be lazy, and even if I procrastinate, I manage to cram in as much as I can in a day.
December was mostly laid-back (perhaps a little too much so).
December was also mostly sunny and warm. That’s because we live in Colorado now, where winters are mild. I spent a great deal of time outdoors, walking in the sun! I’m tan all the time now!
With the walking comes the thinking, and I’ve been thinking about how to approach the rest of my life, now that I’m jobless, i.e. retired. I have so many partially finished projects laying about, as my unpacking has proven, with lots of half-finished jewelry and cross stitch and needlepoint and a crazy quilt I started in 1985. I love starting things, especially stories, flushed with the excitement of new places to go and worlds to create. Beginning a new story is easy for me.
Unfortunately, kicking myself in the rear to complete second and third drafts is something else. I don’t particularly like to edit. It’s very hard work. I can see the stories in my head, even the un-fleshed parts are finished in the brain, but getting them out there and onto the page – that’s another thing.
This year’s resolutions are simple:
- Finish the unfinished. I have no less than four manuscripts in the rough draft mode on my computer. I really need to work on those, even as it pains me.
- Take a class. Already signed up for a writing class, and will see about an art class.
- Work on the web site(s). Again, laziness has reared its ugly head and I really need to tame that particular monster.
- Investigate more on the self-pub aspect of the business. With the changes in CreateSpace and Amazon, I really need to grab this bull by the horns.
- Keep up the daily journal. My Hobonichi went to hell after the first week of December. And I was doing so well, too!
- Put myself on a schedule. All of this could be easily accomplished if I stuck to a schedule. Now that major house repairs have been completed, this should be easy. (Plus, the husband got a new job he’s starting on the 9th. It’ll be nice to have some alone-time. He’s kind of a distraction.)
- Enter some contests. I’ve been out of contest mode for several years. Time to dive back in.
The media folks say that New Year’s resolutions are usually broken and fall to the wayside by the middle of January. This year, I’m out to prove them wrong.
