Dear Readers,
Every year, I look forward to the end of the year. Some of it is mostly to recuperate. I sometimes feel this is an emotionally turbulent time because it’s the appointed time for the weight and stress of the entire year to be dealt with. I slough it off like a skin ready to moult; I do my internal arithmetics and accounting. That’s part of the regulating and healing I do this time of year. But there’s another reason this time of year is important for me and why I guard it so jealously.
It’s the two weeks in which I give myself permission to fully be a novelist and author. Sure, there’ll be the inevitable work distractions. Today, I already tended to student emails because I know I can’t leave my work inbox completely unchecked (but I will forever be thankful for the angels who left me alone when I was putting the final touches to Watermyth in December 2023). But mostly, this is the time when I get the most work done on my novels. I do write in spurts throughout the year but this time always feels like the right time to knit together different strands and timelines, to see the big picture once I don’t have to commute to work and can think clearly (or try to do so). Last year, I got a huge chunk of Rosemirror revisions out of the way during this period. This year, I hope to get even more done. I’m still not happy with the heft of the novel but I know I have readers (AND beta readers) waiting; I don’t want people to have to wait too long. Especially not when this is a six-book mythic portal fantasy cycle (with some other hyphens/subcategories).
Happily, this feels like my most clearheaded and emotionally regulated December in years. YEARS! And I’ve already got a decent chunk of work done on the novel. Clearly, being 50 agrees with me. I don’t view it as a downgrade but a significant upgrade.
Ergo, if I’m quiet, I’m fine. I’m happily writing (and reading) and getting all cozily creative in this season of old things ending while we prepare ourselves (and gird our respective loins!) for the new year.
Take care, stay cozy, and I hope the year’s end treats you all well.