Did you stay up last night to usher in 2022? I hate to admit that staying up until midnight is getting harder each year. 😀 Last year at this time, I was looking forward to the new year, knowing it had to be better than 2020. Hah! Still, I'm confident 2022 has to get better.
Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, is often used to depict the new year. The old man is looking to the past, while the young man looks to the future. It's no surprise that the month of January, the beginning of the new year, is named for him.
Gates or portals are also symbols of Janus. When we open a gate, we're going forward as well as leaving something behind. A transition, if you will. On January 1st, we transition to a new calendar year. Who knew when we entered 2020, what changes lay ahead? A pandemic of proportions unheard of since 1918 hit the world with disastrous results. So, when we learned a vaccine was available early in 2021, we figured that was the end of it. The optimistic me shouted "hurray" while the cynical me said "yeah, right." Here we are, almost 2 years into the pandemic, with another variant of the virus filling hospitals to capacity.
Janus also symbolizes change. Boy, oh boy, have we had to make changes in our lives. I don't need to tell you that! Despite quarantine, or maybe because of it, we've developed or expanded on new ways of meeting--Zoom, FaceTime. A new phrase entered our vocabulary: binge-watching. Were we just wasting time or filling our creative wells?
Change is never easy. It takes us out of our comfort zone and tosses us into new situations. We either "go with the flow" or flounder. Being flexible makes change a lot easier.
Traditionally, the new year marks a new beginning, a time to make changes in our lives--also known as resolutions. I prefer to think of them as goals. As professional writers, a good business practice is to make a one-year plan plus 5- and 10-year plans. Sometimes, it's hard enough making a weekly plan. 😄
Nevertheless, I'm determined to make some changes in my writing life. One of my goals is to be more visible online. Other than my once a month post here and a monthly post with the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop, I've neglected my blog. That's changing today with rejoining the Weekend Writing Warriors weekly hop.
Why make myself more visible online? I plan to release at least 2 books this year. That's going to "force" me to make several changes, including (but not limited to) reduce my binge-watching.
Small changes. Baby steps. A renewal of my writing life.
What changes are you planning for 2022?
13 comments:
Oh, yeah! Will be welcoming you back on WeWriWa! I'm like you: I do a PNR, a IWSG and WeWriWa for my PR . . . and aside from occasional FB posts, that's it! I figure since I don't have a new book to promo, why bother? Buuuut, I have countless "Still available" books that could use the pushhhhhh! I plan to have two romantic suspenses ready to market this year which means polishing the first and finishing the second. And I plan to make use of a 1-4 Monday write-in with the Greater Detroit Writers Group I belong to. So, Welcome 2022, a new productive year to look forward to for all of us!!
Great goals, Nancy. I haven't done write-ins, yet I keep hearing how beneficial they are. I need to try one. I'm looking forward to reading your romantics suspenses.
Happy new year, Diane! Excited to see you back for WeWriWa!! And I can't wait to see what you write this year!
For me, I'm using Canva more to create promo images, and focusing on IG a little more. My daughter is showing me how to do things in both. During the pandemic, I made myself daily, weekly, and monthly checklists. It's what I needed to keep focused on things other than the pandemic. It worked and helped me write a little more, so I'm continuing to utilize these checklists in 2022.
Wishing you and your family good health and happiness through the new year!
Happy New Year All! Let's hope 2022 is better!
Great seeing that you're going to be online more, Diane! You were missed!
What a wonderful post, Diane! So happy to hear you're back to writing. For me, I've taken a step back in 2021. It was long overdue and time for a change. The past year proved to be illuminating, and I'm eager to see the new direction I have mapped out for 2022. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I barely make it up to midnight. Still working on goals for this year.
Thanks, Jess. I need to use Canva more so I can use it effectively. Maybe your daughter can teach me. lol I'm a listmaker, so your idea of daily, weekly, & monthly checklists sounds good. Hope 2022 is a lot better for all of us.
Thanks, Linda. The same to you.
Thanks, Diana. So nice of you to say that.
Mary, good luck to you. I feel good about the time I've taken off and am eager to get back writing.
Maureen. lol. My younger sisters didn't make it to midnight. They were surprised Hubs & I did.
Post a Comment