Hello Everyone! Happy 2019!
In about May or June of 2018 I started to write on my blog consistently, posting to it multiple times a month, the amount of posts varying based on my productivity level. I’ve narrowed my topics down to creative writing, mostly discussing the craft itself and less my personal prose and musings on various topics in life. This works well for me, and ever so often, I do stray from posts on the craft to speak on something else, though it is not often. Because of that, I’ve been able to keep blogging a constant in my writing routine!
Though my blogging is a constant, it is a constant of ebb and flow. Sometimes I run low on post ideas, or, as with the month of December, I had events going on in my personal life that kept me from giving my blog attention. I have taken some time to jot down blog posts ideas in a list that I will be using to keep this blog fresh for the new year!
Speaking of the new year, I thought I’d make my first post of 2019 a mix of reflecting on 2018 and my plans looking ahead.
Reflecting on 2018, at first, it didn’t seem as though I accomplished much. However, when I sat down to think on it, I found I did more than I previously thought. Every year, I make a folder in my drive entitled simply “Poems [year]”, and upon looking at “Poems 2018”, I tallied a total of 29 poems written throughout the year. Combing through them, I found the subject matter around them changed throughout the year as I found new inspiration. Later in the year, most of my poems began to center around astronomy and cosmology as I read many book on the subject. It’s very interesting to see this sort of progression in my work, the progression of inspiration.
If you don’t already, I’d recommend dating your poems and your work (if you write by hand or your computer program doesn’t date things for you), and organizing them in files by year. It’s an interesting way to see how your work evolves over time, and how you approached the craft differently throughout the year or years, if you’ve been keeping track for a while. For instance, I’ve been organizing copies of my poetry by year on my computer since 2013, so when I want to study the timeline of my craft, it’s easy to sample a few poems from each year up until now to compare and contrast.
I also ordered the first proof copy of my unpublished novel in May of 2018. This was such a huge moment for me, and it came after two years of writing and two rewrites of the manuscript (one year for each). Is it perfect? No. Is it ready to be published? Certainly not! But, nonetheless, I’m really proud of myself for building something of this caliber from the ground up. I haven’t been editing it recently due to personal events, but I’m still working towards publication!
In addition to ordering a proof copy, I formulated a new outline for another manuscript, and began drafting it. However, this project is mostly stagnant, and I’m struggling at keeping consistent in writing it. The subject matter is not one I’ve ever approached before, and I’m currently researching and practicing my technique in other creative writing formats before continuing the draft process.
As for 2019, I don’t have many concrete plans as of yet. My first and foremost plan is to continue exercising my creative writing muscles. I’ve taken a break over the past month or so from most of my projects (this blog included), and the only thing I’ve worked on consistently is fanfiction on my drive. I haven’t had much motivation to draft or to brainstorm in regards to my original projects. However, I don’t want to go too long without practicing my skills, so I take a little time every few days or so to write some fanfiction. It’s fun and casual, and it accomplishes its purpose of keeping my skills fresh for when I return to my projects. I don’t want to return to my works only to find my gears are rusty!
The only other concrete plan I have in place at the moment is continuing to work on my unpublished novel, which means working on my proof copy. I stopped editing in December, and now returning to it with fresh eyes is bound to give me a new perspective on the piece and how I can better improve it.
Happy New Year and Good Luck to all the creative writers out there! Let’s make 2019 a productive year! 🙂
Cordelia Rhein 