Post #239 December 21 2020 “2020: My Writing Year in Review” This is my last post for the year 2020. What a year, huh? Most people I know can’t wait for this year to end. We’ve had a pandemic, a nasty election cycle, street protests, way too many political ads, business failures, too many deaths. Bring on 2021! In this post, I thought I would review what I have accomplished in my writing life this year. To start with, some basic statistics: I started and completed one science fiction novel…Monument. As of this writing, it’s had 141 downloads, so it’s done okay but it’s not blowing anybody’s socks off. I also started and completed a series of short novels (episodes) called Quantum Troopers Return, in which I reprised my pretty successful series Quantum Troopers from several years ago. As of today, this series has garnered 638 downloads. Respectable, I suppose. In one additional project, I started and completed a science fiction novelette called Proxima. This story has been circulating around the world of sf print magazines, so far without success. If I can’t place this story in a print market, I’ll archive it for a later collection of short works to be called Spiral Galaxies. For new titles, I have earned a total of 779 downloads. For all titles this year, my downloads have been 4953. I’m still hoping to hit 5000 by year end, but we’ll see. The new year of 2021 will see more projects completed and started. My current project is an alternate-history novel called The Eureka Gambit. The first draft is about two-thirds done and I expect to finish this draft sometime in February. I believe this work will be ready to upload this spring, perhaps as early as Easter, April 4. I am also deep into researching and planning the first of three additional titles in the Farpool series of stories. This first one will be called The Farpool: Plague. I should be able to start the first draft of this one in late spring or early summer, pending the results of cataract surgery on both eyes about the same time. With any luck, this title will be available at Smashwords.com and other fine ebook retailers before the end of 2021. Two other titles The Farpool: Diaspora and The Farpool: Destiny will follow in 2022 and 2023. So, that is what is coming up. New ideas continue to percolate in my feverish brain but I want to spend a few minutes talking about writing and the writing life during a pandemic. As I see it, there are several points that should be made. First, all writers face the problems of working in a medium in which isolation from others can be an issue. For myself, I am a member of a group of writers that meet every week (this year, mostly on Zoom) and this helps to deal with that isolation. Also, I’m happily married (30 years next April!), so that keeps me on my toes. It should go without saying that anyone who works regularly as a writer needs to attend to their social network and maintain social connections diligently. Do this if for no other reason than your friends can be a source not only of support but also good ideas. Maintaining energy and momentum are important to me as a writer. When I am working on a project, as I am now, the daily rhythm of planning and accomplishing 3-5 pages every day is important to me, and kind of comforting as well. To make this work, set yourself achievable goals and work every day to accomplish them. The daily satisfaction of achieving these goals can bring little bursts of satisfaction that help keep me motivated. That’s why I always print out what I’ve written every day. I enjoy watching the pages mount up; it’s a tangible reminder of what I’m doing. This is one way to motivate myself to keep going over the length of an entire novel, when motivation can easily flag halfway through. Along with doing whatever it takes to motivate yourself, celebrate all successes, no matter how small. It could be doing a week’s worth of writing and seeing an additional 20-25 pages added to your first draft pile. It could be completing a particularly difficult scene. It could even be something as simple as an especially well-turned phrase. Enjoy your words! Don’t be afraid to celebrate the scenes you’re creating. Just don’t get carried away with your awesome talent come editing time, when you may well have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. My point is this: celebrating yourself and what you have accomplished against the indifference of the Universe will go a long way toward keeping that motivation up. I think most athletes understand this viscerally. My final point is a physiological one: find some way to exercise regularly and stick to it. Walk the neighborhood. Swim 1500 meters every other day like I do. Do stretches and calisthenics, even do Pilates, God forbid. Do something physically active everyday to keep yourself up. Your body will thank you, and your doctor will thank you too. Moreover, your mind will have a chance to switch to a different mode while you’re working out and, in this mode, you’ll often find new ideas and ways of advancing your story bubbling up unbidden. It’s a great resource for inspiration and it’s good for you too! That’s the year 2020 in my writing life. Tell me how things went for you in this challenging time. The Word Shed will take a two-week hiatus for the upcoming holidays. The next post will come on January 11, 2021. Have a great holiday season and we’ll see you then. Phil B.