Bug Books: Joey Paul Online: Looking To The New Year

Monday 21 December 2020

Looking To The New Year - The Creative Process

LOOKING TO THE NEW YEAR

It's getting to that time of year again where we start to wonder about what the new year will hold for us. Let's be honest, 2020 has been a disaster, and for a lot of people, seeing it end is going to be a good thing. For me the year has been a mess. I've spent about 8 months in lockdown because of being vulnerable to the virus. I have written two books, started another two, and gone through three different books editing wise. I have been dealing with a lot more pain than I was used to because of a finger tumour, and at the time of writing this, there's no end in sight for that.

But that all aside, what can we as writers do to look to the new year? What good things do we have that are awaiting for us in a new year? If you're someone who has struggled to write during the stress and everything else of 2020, then I don't blame you for being nervous or burned out when it comes to the thought of another year like this. I'm looking to the new year as a brand new start to whatever awaits me there, and I'd like to give you all some tips about how to set aside the concern and anxiety and think about what you can manage in a brand new year.

#1 IT'S A BLANK SLATE
This is something that has always appealed to me when it comes to a new year, as a writer and as a person. I have my birthday during the early days of the new year so I get to start a brand new chapter of my life. You can look to the new year as a time to start afresh. You can think about all the things you wish to achieve in the new year, and you can, maybe, somewhat leave some of the bad of the previous year behind.

I know it's not as easy as that. I know that I can't remove my tumour on December 31st and start the year with less pain, but I can try and hope that the surgery will happen, and then if it does, I can focus on the words I'm going to write, the stories I'm going to tell, the books I'm going to be releasing, and focus on the positives. It's not a case of simply shedding your worries and pretending they don't exist, but you can work towards helping yourself start afresh.

#2 YOU CAN TIE UP THE YEAR
When you get to the point of the end of the year, you know that a lot of what you've done that year is going to be tied up. As an author, I have a lot of end of year admin to do, like getting my yearly sales total, and checking in with the goals I made last year, as well as making sure I have everything in place for a brand new year.

For me, I like to have a brand new folder for royalties made, and come January 1st I can download all my sales spreadsheets and set things up for the coming year. I can get things ready for upcoming releases, sending off the covers for a nice cover reveal gif ready for when it's time to reveal it. I have to get things in place to make the releases less stressful and I can make sure that I have everything I need to keep moving forward.

#3 TAKE A BREATH AND START AGAIN
Like I said above, a new year means a blank slate. Whether that means that you continue on with the good things in your life, and leave the bad behind, it's up to you. But you can also look back at the hell of a year 2020 has been and realise, you did it, you got through every bad day, you made it, you're going into a brand new year and while things don't change instantly, there's the potential for it to do so.

Take a breath, pat yourself on the back and remember: you made it.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments below.