2021 was a rough year, but in November things began looking up. Among other things I finally left the Other Job, a workplace so incredibly, dangerously, dysfunctional that I wouldn’t have believed it could stay in business if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.
I spent November and December coping with residual rage from that place and getting back in the practice of writing on a regular basis. It took some time to figure out how to pick up all the pieces– of myself, of my writing, of my connections with friends and fellow writers– and to hit the road again. Now that I’m no longer working 12 to 18 hours a day with a host of urgent problems constantly jostling for attention, I can focus on what’s important.
As much as I’m still struggling with the fallout of leaving the Other Job and trying to get back to where I was before, I feel like 2021 is going to be a good year. Here are some of the things I’m hoping to accomplish.
Write 2000 Words A Day
Hypothetically, if I can meet a goal like this I should be able to complete 100,000-word novel in about two months.
Finish, Polish & Publish the Sequel to Necrotic City
This may be something of a long shot, but I’d like to at least get as close as possible to completing this project. This year is the year!
Finish, Polish & Publish Another Project
There’s a project I’ve been secretly harboring since late 2016. I have the plot pretty well fleshed out… I just need to get it on paper. It’s a science fiction story with sentient purpose-built androids, illegal firmware updates, murder, theft, hacking, and a bodyguard bot on a mission to resurrect his only friend. It’s a story that I’m quite fond of, and I think it has some awesome potential.
Review More Books
I wrote hardly any reviews in 2020 because, sadly, I didn’t have time read much of anything. I’ll continue to put a spotlight on the excellent indie authors I discover, and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing more popular science fiction as well.
Coming soon: reviews of Alpha Bots by Ava Lock and Agent G: Infiltrator by C. T. Phipps.
Grow My Patreon Following
Unless an author has a good catalogue of works in print and a steady income from them, there’s not much to pay the bills with while writing books. I also enjoy writing short fiction and serials, and sharing what I’m working on with my followers. Therefore I’m giving the crowd funding model a shot.
Patrons will receive Patreon-only short stories, serialized short fiction, behind-the-scenes commentary and Easter eggs, excerpts from works in progress, and more. Whether you want to receive unique, never-before-seen fiction in your inbox at a great price, cut out greedy middlemen like Amazon, or just support an indie author whose writing you enjoy, Patreon is a great avenue to do that. Plus you’ll receive my eternal gratitude for your support!
Upgrade & Improve My Website
On the agenda for improvement:
- Loading speed
- User interface
- Layout
I started working on this project in December, and if you take a look around the site you may notice some of those improvements already in effect. Work will continue in the background until upgrades are complete. Feedback is welcome.
Thank you all for being part of my writing journey so far. Here’s to bigger and better things in 2021!
