Reflecting on my first year
As we slide into a new year (and a new decade), I’m excited. The last half of the year will bring big changes when my son starts kindergarten and my books come out. Much of the first half of the year will be preparing for those events.
When 2019 began, I set out to finish revising a manuscript I started working on in 2014, thinking it would be published before the end of the year (spoiler: it wasn’t). Instead of publishing, I kept writing and I finished the year having also drafted three other works: a novella and two novels. That first manuscript turned into a series, with the novella and one of the novels belonging to it. These are the books I will release in 2020 (plus at least one more yet-to-be-drafted). The other novel is for a second series for which I’ll release the first couple of books in 2021. I also plotted a handful of children’s stories, but I’m not sure what to do with them yet.
One of the most exciting things for me in 2019 was devising and sticking to a plan to make writing part of my daily life. I’m happier for having made space for creativity and I intend to continue nurturing that space.
Currently reading
Books from the Berenstain Bears. My son is showing interest in dinosaurs thanks to one of the bear books, so our next library visit will include at least one dino book to learn more about them.
My personal reading is all over the place, a few pages on my e-reader or a few hard copy pages before bed, but nothing I’m completely absorbed by. Do you have any suggestions?
Listen to this!
While my reading choices often lean towards mysteries or the occasional thriller, my listening preferences are somewhat broader. I’m almost through We’re Alive: Gold Rush and it’s just as good as the first instalments in this post zombie apocalypse world. You don’t need to have listened to the original four seasons of We’re Alive, but it helps. These are high-quality and highly entertaining, though this series (so far) has considerably less violence and fewer zombie encounters than the original and the second series (Lockdown). I’ve listened to the 150 or so 20-minute episodes of the original series three times and the six hour-long episodes of Lockdown twice.
What I learned
I recently learned about alternatives to Adobe Creative Suite. I have been interested in graphic design for a while, and learned some basic skillls. I’d like to play around a bit more, but the Adobe programs are $$$. I’m still evaluating them to figure out what works for me.
I’ve also fallen in love with fonts I’m considering for the covers of my first series.
Stay in touch
Do you have a recommendation for me? Want to know more about my writing? Drop me a line at sarah@sarahmstephen.ca.
Until next time, keep well.
S.