Hello 2022!
Isn’t it funny how January gets the benefit of that fresh start feel? That cool sense of new beginning? I enjoy goal-setting around August and September. Yet routinely retraining of my hand to write/type the correct date forces my awareness of the new year.
Although I know it was not everyone’s experience, I found 2021 to be a year of serious growth. Not all of it was nice. Much of it was like the ghostly aches of actual growing pains, which honestly aren’t enjoyable at all. Though it was fun being measured and finding out you’d gained one more inch toward adulthood.
Some of my 2021 inches came while preparing my first novel, When the Sword Sings, for publication. Before this book, I finished a draft and moved on to the next project. Repeat that about 7x and you get the idea. With When the Sword Sings, I was determined to see it all the way through. And thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, a massive ice storm, and some exploration into how I work, I’ve been able to.
Tackling the dreaded revision mountain has opened so many views in learning. I’ve hiked the hills to experience professional content, line editing, and proofreading, and charted through the forest of cover design, and formatting. All have been thrilling excursions.
Currently, I’m navigating the revision of a book in the same series as When the Sword Sings. My friend Kelly is also helping learn all about this fine but muddy territory called web development. We’ve set a stake on this piece of it and I am looking forward to its further cultivation.
I’m sure you’ve got your own seedlings planted or sprouting at the beginning of this year. Or maybe you’re in an accelerated growing season. Hard won growth. The kind you’re fighting dirt clods, wrestling grubs, and, with much prayer, pushing up against the darkness toward a sunshine you’re pretty sure is up there, somewhere. There are always more inches to claim. We growing growers must protect our seedlings against icy cold, blistering heat, hungry insects, and the over and under abundance water. (Or their scientific names for me: Netflix, sleeping in, fear, and skipped or wasted writing time.) Guard your seedlings well.
I hope you celebrate your growth too. We’ve made it through 2021 and let’s see what blossoms bloom in 2022.
Image credit: Karolina Grabowska
