This is the time of year everyone posts a year in review. I’m adding to the group, because, Wow! What a year! Right? So many political and socio-economic events, not the least of these was the continued impact of the Corona virus as it mutates again and again.
All of this means tons of us burrowed deeper into hiding. Me included.
As many of you know, instead of a New Year’s Resolution, I choose a word to exemplify what I want my next year to follow. For 2021, I chose “Success”.
At the beginning of the year, I was still chasing my elusive dream of convincing a top agent I was worthy of their time. Working on On The Sly brought a radical shift in my thinking. I started focusing on Quality, no matter how long it took to bring out an excellent product. And I think it is excellent. Yes, I’m still looking for the right agent for this project. But it will come. Focusing on the second book, Sly As A Fox, only reaffirms the depths of my commitment to that same quality. I’m not worried about convincing someone it’s a worthy novel. They’ll see it for themselves.
This, in turn, made other drastic changes. Chasing the social media scene, while necessary for a little while, just doesn’t work for me in a sustainable way. I will still stay on social media, but Quality vs. Quantity.
I have defined who I am as a writer. While I may circle back to some of my earlier story ideas at some other time, for now I’m very content to continue with just the Sly series. Maybe the occasional short story might slip in. This feels permanent to me.
So, yes. 2021 was a “Success”. I don’t need to chase my tail doing this or that just to be considered a professional writer. I’m there already.
Wendy L. Koenig 