We are in 2022 and I want to look at how I did with writing in 2021. It seemed like a long year. Even with my writing, it felt the same way. I was working on my novel throughout the year. Why the novel is taking so long?
From 2020
So I started writing the first draft of The Songs of Farewell in March 2020. Now I am close to two years where I have finished four different drafts of that novel and I am getting sick of reading and rewriting parts of it. Finally, the time has come to let the baby be out there in the wild. As far as the novel is concerned, it will be released in 2022. I will send it to editors in the next couple of weeks and then the waiting game begins.
Review of 2021
I wrote around 5 short stories in 2021. Not a lot. But considering the amount of work the novel is, writing 5 short stories was still an accomplishment. Overall, life was busy and I would have loved to write more short stories in 2021 than usual. Despite the hurdles life throws at me, I am happy to maintain the habit of writing. Writing is the one thing I can’t live without.
How can I improve my writing?
Well, that question continues to be the center of every writing session. But there is only one solution and that is to keep reading a lot. Reading has tremendously helped me in many ways.
Throughout 2021, I was writing a novel, short stories, and non-fiction blog posts.
Goals for 2022
Generally, setting goals is not the right way to go with writing. I have not done it in the past. Don’t plan to change that. I will build on the system that has helped me. Write every day. Write for at least 30 minutes. Take a pen and write fiction, non-fiction, blog posts.
Quantity is an answer to producing some quality work.
One approach that I want to try is to come up with words and associate them to write a story. Something that I learned from Ray Bradbury. Zen in the art of writing is always a guide to revisit every year.
After all, I do plan to publish my novel in 2022. It has been a lot of work. I do not know if I want to write a sequel to the novel, but my immediate plans involve writing short stories. I love writing short stories and I do plan to submit short stories to magazines.
Hope you enjoyed my year in review. It was simple, but equally a busy year. Here is wishing everyone a very happy new year 2022.