A Happy Somesuch Or Other: Writerly intentions for 2023

Happy New Year! It’s that time of year to avoid making resolutions, burrow into a pile of blankets, and try to remember how to adult after a holiday break.

Writing-wise, it was a busy year. I finished my Pitch Wars mentorship and finished drafting two new Adult Fantasy novels. I even had my first acceptance for a short story that’s due to be published in September 2023! All super exciting things!

But mid-way through November, I had to deal with a number of health things that I don’t want go into depth about, but am still recovering from. It took a mental toll, along with a physical one, and I’m only just realizing how much this affected my mental health. So when I talk about intentions, I’m trying to be kind to myself. I want to use this year to pursue the parts of writing I love and get some space from the rest.

Hiatus?

One of my intentions may sound a bit counter-intuitive. I don’t want to write any new novels in 2023. This doesn’t mean I won’t touch any of my novels. In fact, I’m toying with the idea of re-writing Witch on Fire. But I have four novels under my belt and I’ve spent the last 2.5 years trying to dig my way out of the query trenches. It’s grueling. And while rejections are never personal, it’s hard to view them impersonally when it’s about a book you wrote. I still plan on querying Water in the Blood, and may even query my current project, but I need a break from churning out novels and hurling them into the void.

So you're not writing anything new?

I’ll still be writing and finding ways to be creative, but in a different format. Mostly, this means switching to short stories. I’ve been finding my stride with these lately and wrote two in December. It’s been an amazing outlet for focusing on prose without having to worry about a plot that stretches over many chapters. Especially because some of my story ideas are just better suited for a shorter medium. One of my writing buds wrote a short story every month last year, and I’m trying to do the same. At the moment, it just feels like a really good creative fit for where my head is at. I may also write some things that are just for me an no one else. We’ll see where the year leads!

Intentions

So overall my intentions are to do less. Write less, but write what calls to me. Query less, but query intentionally. Check my inbox and Twitter less and interact with my writing community more. Oh, and I want to do a pull up, but that’s a different story. Trying to break into publishing can really mess with your emotional state and your perception of your own talent. So this year I want to do what I can to write what brings me joy and give the rest less power.

2022 Highlights and Chihiro's Cat Corner

Despite 2022 having its ups and downs, it was really great. I saw good friends get married, met the cutest babies, and got to do lots of incredible travel for work.

And as for Chihiro? Well, she’s thriving between all her fleece blankets and finding every radiator in the house! If only the service around here were better…