The Order of Winter

First, I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful 2013. I hope the year brings everything you need it to.

This brings about a brief review from my side of things. I’ve looked back to the beginning of the year to try and remember where I was. To attempt to recall everything that has gone on this year will be tricky. But one thing I do know I said last year was that I was setting myself goals rather than resolutions.

Before I started last year, confidence was very low and I wanted to do something to get myself straight again. I knew I wanted to do something with this manuscript I had sat on my computer for a long time in some capacity or other, and I know I wanted to finish at least one short story I was happy with. Well, if you’re reading this, I’m sure you know I got to the end of the year having ticked both of those boxes off my list. It was a strange feeling to have read Becoming Tabitha, my submission to the Crime Net anthology, again earlier in December – this time, purely for leisure. It was a contrast and a real moment of, ‘I can do that!’

And then another such moment. I was sitting around gaming and one of my friends pulled out a copy of Oblivion Storm and asked me to sign it! It was so exciting that there were pictures just to prove it happened. And do you know what? I got to do it all again on Christmas Day, this time for family. It was a real Christmas highlight, and one for which I’m very, very grateful to have been able to put forward.

Yes, in that regard, this year has been surreal, and in a really good way. Markers have been set on the writing side.

There have been downsides – I’m not at the right side of any regular income at the moment, and that has been the story of the year. It’s a specific thing I’m looking for improvement on in 2013. But it’s just one I’m going to have to keep going with.

And that’s the thing really. The stuff I’d like to see more of requires me to press on. The stuff I would like to see less of requires me to be pressing on with other things. Either way, to make 2013 work is going to require hard work on my part. I’m prepared for this in either case.

So I’ve decided Project: Shadowlondon has been an overall success. It culminated in Oblivion Storm, and my Crime Net contribution, a new computer, the completion of a talk and involvement on the production team of a LARP system. From where I was at the end of 2011 to now, I’ve got to be happy with that.

But 2013 requires something new. Fresh projects and goals.

Project: Warrior!

As with last year, I haven’t done a series of resolutions; instead I have set myself a series of goals I wish to achieve. I will share some of these when things are back up and running on the Day Zero site (at time of writing, I cannot get on) but share some of the ones I can immediately mention now.

It’s a given that with Oblivion Storm being ‘The Grenshall Manor Chronicles Book One’, that I at least have the desire to see to a Book Two. I had actually started something along those lines a while ago, as anyone who has followed this blog since the start will tell you. However, with the many changes I’ve made to what ended up as Oblivion Storm since my first draft, and having just sat around for long enough to be dangerous, I’ve been coming up with new stuff. So I will hope to have that upon the world as soon as I can.

Similarly, now that I have at least temporarily held off my fear of writing short stories by getting one out, I am on a mission to get a few more out this year. But we shall see.

Third: I want to ensure even more regular blog posts on here. I think this is perfectly possible, so do let me know if you believe me to be slacking. Also, expect me to be guest posting on a number of blogs over the course of the year. I’ll ensure there is a reference point on this blog, but the important thing is that you can read it.

And finally, The Million Word Challenge. You can read more about that particular mission here. I can tell you this: I was both terrified and massively impressed by Colin when he told me he was doing it, and I promised I’d help to publicise this at any opportunity I could. This admiration grew to a nagging thought that even if I fell short, if I just let this one drive by, I would almost certainly regret it. So here I am.

With the hope that I can get on and do a couple more talks this year, expand my writing portfolio and along the way, entertain a few people, I have high hopes for 2013. This is where I want to take all the successes from 2012 to a new level – and to leave as much of the rest firmly in 2012 as possible, without looking back.

I look forward to meeting many new people this year! Good luck with anything you have set yourself about doing this year, and may you all be up to the challenges you have set yourselves. Keep at it, and let me know how you are all getting on!