In 2020 I answered a list of 52 journal questions. Read about it here.
Year in review
Well, we’ve done it. One way or another we’ve battled through the madness that has been 2020 and are about to emerge out the other side. It really has been a year that felt like it was never going to end – and my perspective of time has been really skewed as a result. But hopefully I will remember enough of the high (low) lights!
This year I was determined to be more consistent with my posting on my blog, with a goal of 3 posts a week. Once a week I answered a Journal Question and this is the final one. I’ve quite enjoyed it, some were fun to answer while others pushed me out of my comfort zone – but I think that can be a good thing. I plan on doing something similar again next year (and will talk about that more in a later post).
When covid happened I decided to post 5 times a week, and managed to keep that going all year. I plan on continuing that schedule for the moment, as well as doing the A to Z challenge in 2021 (I have my theme and research all done and will start writing the posts and scheduling next month).
I didn’t do the A to Z challenge this year because I was away for most of the month prior. I went on my writing retreat cruise which was wonderful – although it would have been even more wonderful if I hadn’t been so sick.
Sadly illness (not the covid variety) was the overarching condition for me in 2020. I fell ill on 22 Feb and am still sick now (severe asthma). The last couple of months in particular have seen me slide downhill rather significantly. But the 3 months of smoke-filled skies from the Aussie bushfires that heralded in 2020 were probably the trigger.
The bushfires were horrendous and many areas where I live are still closed to the public. We really only had a couple of weeks of clear skies before covid took over as our new fear.
There’s no need to revisit covid life, because we are all still living it. Hopefully this coming year will be all about the vaccine!
It was much harder to reach goals this year because life was flipped on its head. But I did manage to achieve some. I had two main goals – health related and writing related. I really wanted to improve my health (well, that didn’t work out), but while my health struggles I did try to lose weight and improve my fitness. Sadly my fitness hasn’t been a huge success (hard when you struggle to breathe), but I have lost 22kg (48.5lb).
I had a writing goal of finishing my manuscript, polishing it until it shone, and getting it out on query. Tick, tick, tick. It’s on query at the moment and I will let you know how it fares. In the meantime I am plotting my next book and will be starting to write it in the new year.
Many of my other goals slid into obscurity as the year crashed and burned around me. But that’s okay. The main ones were the two above, and I feel great about them. Really, how can I be disappointed with 2020 when I still managed to achieve what I did?
It’s now New Year’s Eve and 2020 is finally drawing to a close. I am looking forward to seeing out the year and welcoming in a new one. I hope you have a wonderful evening, however you choose to spend it.
Have you managed to find some good in 2020?
January 1, 2021 at 12:32 am
AAAAHHH it will be 2021 when you read this so YAY!!! I feel like this is the only New Year I am excited for.
Congratulations on all that weight loss!! Even after all my efforts in the summer I only lost 4lbs – however my circumference seemed to be the thing that improved! I am sure I have gained it all back and more over the last 4 months LOL but steps to improve are in place! For once in my life I am determined to lose weight… its strange for me. Never really cared before.
What does your book being in query mean? A huge well done for finishing it and getting it to that stage!! Even though I don’t know what it means 😂
Happy New Year! I’m off to read the next post that just came into my email from you!
January 1, 2021 at 8:49 am
It is the new year (it’s just on 9am on the 1st actually). I think you have a ways to go until 2021… it’s weird, lol.
Good luck with your weight loss goal, GF (but the measurements/circumference is really what matters). Being on query means I am currently querying agents to represent me with that book.
January 1, 2021 at 8:39 am
Actually, other than the pandemic and related crap, this year was a pretty good one for me. We managed to vote out the orange idiot and I started walking regularly. Things are going in the right direction.
Happy New Year.
January 1, 2021 at 8:50 am
That’s wonderful, Liz.. I know you were also able to work throughout as well. I’m glad things are going in the right direction and I hope that continues into 2021.
January 1, 2021 at 8:52 am
Haha it is a bit weird! We are 5pm on the 31st still hehe
And yes you’re right! The inches and health are what matter not the number! I just miss the feeling I had in the summer so shall try to get it back 😃 have done yoga 3 days in a row now and am feeling on the right track 😂😂
And ooooooo I hope someone picks it up!!!
January 2, 2021 at 11:13 am
You accomplished quite a lot in this challenging year! I’ve been impressed by how often you post, and I always enjoy stopping by. I’m sorry your health issues continue, and I hope 2021 brings some resolution there. We dealt with a lot of smoke this summer at the same time as covid and allergies, and it was rough.
Congratulations on your writing progress! I wish you the best with your queries and can’t wait to hear your good news when it comes. I didn’t make as much progress with my manuscript as I would have liked, but I’m inching closer. I’ll never be one of those writers who can go from start to finish in six months or something ridiculous like that anyway 🙂
January 6, 2021 at 10:15 am
Thanks, Jenny. I’m glad our fires were gone before the pandemic struck (although self-isolation was easy during the fires – you couldn’t go anywhere anyway!