Sunday, December 31, 2017

New Year's Eve 2018


Welcome to New Year's Eve 2018! Looking back over the old year, looking forward to the new year. Before I start in about what 2017 was for me, what I am taking from it, and what I am looking forward to in 2018, I want to stop and give a tip of the hat to Sue Grafton, author of the "Kinsey Milhone" mystery series. As Ms Grafton's daughter posted on Facebook - "The series ends with "Y". Yes, Sue Grafton just passed away from cancer. Her series, which followed the letters of the alphabet, stops with "Y". Her books are favorites of mine, and I will miss her greatly (even though I never met her).

2017 was certainly a year with its ups and downs. The political climate continued to get worse, on a daily (if not hourly) basis. The sole aim in the Trum administration seemed to be to take down whatever former President Obama had put in place, and to change any and all rule and regs to fit the schemes of the rich. Why do I feel the need to mention this in an article about my year - because whether I wanted it to or not, it did affect me.

Because of the afore mentioned political debacle, I became more active in the area of politics. I sent more e-mails, made more phone calls, and wrote more letters than I have ever done before. I will continue to do this - within reason. I ended up on a lot of political lists that I have been steadily unsubbing from. The individuals/groups on those lists had/have pertinent things to say - but everything ends with a request for money, and they all need it by "midnight". I will not be used! I will contribute to local politicians, and through Hillary Clinton's political action group Onward Together.  

Over the past year I took both writing and personal development courses through Udemy, started a newsletter focused on writing, and fine tuned my WIPs - a mystery novel, and a book on decision making. I formatted what I want to have in my fictional character's profiles, and what I want included in my bible for each book (for my fictional books, so that each book in the series reflect what has actually happed, or been referred to, in previous books). In researching my mystery novel, I realized that I have an online acquaintance that I can use as to vet an important part of my book (no writer wants to look like a fool.)

I went through a personal health  crisis at the end of October that took until the end of December to really clear up.

For 2018, I am looking forward to publishing my first mystery novel, and to developing a solid plan for promoting it. I will continue with Udemy classes, as well as with interesting webinars that cross my path. I will make an attempt to network with other writers (a LinkedIn acquiantence has what looks to be an intresting novel coming out in 2018). I look forward to blogging here on a weekly basis, as well as writing one flash fiction (100 words) a week and posting it. I also look forward to strengthening the focus of my newsletter, and promoting it in a more efficient manner.

This is my life. What are you taking from 2017, and what are you looking forward to in 2018?

(c) 2017 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction rohibited without written permission of the author. 

  

  

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