As I inch closer to 365 consecutive blog posts, I’ve spent a lot of time looking back to plot my course forward. What should I do next? What worked or didn’t work in the last year? What options will I have to make the most of my time? I still don’t have answers to all these questions, but I’m working on it.
In the next few months I plan to write at least four distinct short stories. Two I’ve already started, with Gari on Torthal, and the Explorers Club. I’m entering writing contests with each of them, and hope to build up diversity in my work. Winning any of the contests isn’t really the point for this exercise but it would be nice to place.
As the seasons change, I get nostalgic and restive. I want to hold on to the easy pace of warm summer days, but look forward to a quiet house to write without distractions. Part of me is always looking back even as I try to decide where to go next. Janus, or my idea of that august Roman deity, is never far from my thoughts about coming and going.
A year ago I had an unfinished idea for a book, and little faith that I would ever finish it. Now I have a completed, edited, and polished manuscript. It turns out, that was the easy part. I’m still querying, still writing, and still building up towards whatever future writing may bring me. The one thing I’m not doing while looking back is regretting the steps I’ve taken along the path. My writing journey continues.