A Brief Look Back

Last year about this time I looked back over the year and seemed to think I had my deadline issues under control and that I was in more balance, but it turns out I was deceiving myself. Honestly, I still haven’t figured out a non-stressful way to deal with deadlines, and I’m still not in balance, although I try.

On the plus side, I continue to have a wonderful, supportive family.

This year has had its challenges, only some of which I’ve alluded to. My mother continues her long slow fade into Alzheimer’s, which is very sad to watch. My sleep apnea issues have returned in the last couple of months, so I guess it’s time for another appointment to see if the med team can figure out what’s wrong again. Sleep apnea sure beats diabetes or cancer or any number of other terrible diseases, but I’d be lying if I’d say it doesn’t suck to wake up feeling tired every single day.

On the plus side, my endurance and health are both up, thanks to taking up karate again. I’m still a few months out from actually advancing toward that second degree black belt. When you’re out for five years it takes a long time to re-learn the katas, or forms. My replacement ACL is holding up beautifully and all the exercise is strengthening it. It no longer feels like my “bad leg” and I’m no longer instinctively favoring it when I jump or run.

When it comes to writing, I remain fortunate to have contracts with two separate publishers and am working with two gifted editors. I finished writing three books this year, and while only one of them is fully polished, the others are solid drafts, and one of them is the longest book I’ve yet written, by a considerable margin. The new outlining technique I’ve mentioned several times while discussing writing technique is working very well for me. No, I’m still not as fast as I want to be, but I’m not as smart or as clever as I want to be, either. I remain a work in progress.

I hope visitors have been enjoying the blog. Visitor numbers are higher than ever, even though “Likes” and comments don’t seem appreciably more frequent. That may be because a lot of visitors comment on the Facebook page rather than here — which raises another interesting point, because recently it seems like FB “likes” don’t transfer from the FB page over to the web site. I’m not sure why, although I hear rumors about a changed FB policy.

I read some great books this year, and John Hocking, Bill Ward, and C.S.E. Cooney and I have been sharing our thoughts about them with you. We’ll continue to do so in the coming year.

One of the strangest things is that although I’ve been working persistently and doggedly, there’s nothing now on the bookstore shelves to show for it. Three books are written, but two of them won’t be out until next year about this time. That’s disappointing to fans and to me, but it does give me a lot of lead time. For instance, the sequel to one of them already has a finished draft, and the sequel to the other series is under way. That means that when those books DO come out, fans won’t have to wait that long to see the next installment. Hopefully I’ll be better positioned to really push my career forward.

As I look into the next year I see that I’ll be facing some new challenges — my first born will be headed off to a college that’s several hours away. I’m proud of him but I know I’ll miss him terribly. His absences will alter my relationship with my daughter, who will be the only child in the house. That won’t be quite like having an only child, but it will feel a little bit that way.

There will be more books to write, more horse fence to repair, and further surprises and challenges. May it be that those surprises will be pleasant, and that we stay happy, healthy, and successful. I’ll have fingers crossed that we can meet challenges gracefully and that mostly good things lie before us.

As for me, I’ll do my best to keep seeking balance, and strive always to be a better father, husband, friend, and writer. Here’s hoping for a good year for all you good people out there. May you meet your own challenges with brave faces, and come through stronger.