Ramblings, Tips and Tricks, Writers' Resource

To the New Year, 2020!

Rachel Sandell

Well, it’s December 31st, and you know what that means. It’s Grandpa’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Also, it’s New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow, everyone will be doing their best to stay true to their list of New Year’s Resolutions, writing-focused and otherwise.

It’s no secret that keeping New Year’s Resolutions is more difficult than making them. Like most, I’ll be trying my darnedest to keep my resolutions, and I’ve got a plan on how to do just that and make the “new year, new me” thing last.

But that’s not what today is for! Today, I want to take stock of everything that we’ve accomplished in the last year. It’s typically best to look forward than back, but focusing on the positive aspects of 2019 could help motivate us during 2020!

2019 Accomplishments

1. I started a writing blog in January.

But you already knew that! This blog has been such a fun experience this past year. I’ve had the courage to share my poetry, ramblings, and resources that have helped me and my writing process. I’ve had the pleasure to host several guest writers, including Nancy O’Toole Merservier (the Red and Black series), Matthew Dewar, and Shannon Yukumi (The Magic Within). I’m so happy with how the site has turned out, and I’ve got some fun ideas in mind for the future.

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2. I got my BA in English and Music.

In May, I graduated from PLU with my BA in English (writing emphasis) and Music…and a concentration in Publishing and Printing Arts! That three-year journey was long and oftentimes difficult, but the results were worth the work it took to get here. PLU gave me the bravery and confidence I needed to advance my writing without the self-doubt I had before (at least, not as much of it).

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3. I started my creative writing MFA with RWW.

This was the highlight of my year! The Rainier Writing Workshop is a three-year creative writing, low residency MFA program. And it’s the bee’s knees! Starting in August, my writing got so much clearer and more solid. I’ve grown so much in just a few months, and I have RWW, my mentor, and my fellow RWW writers to thank.

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4. I published my second short story.

The Magic Within features my short story, “The Boy with Black Eyes,” published on October 31, one year to the day after my first story, “The Nightmare,” was shared with the world! It’s an honor to be alongside so many other authors in the anthology. I’m looking forward to other possible publications in 2020!

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5. I started several new story ideas that make me excited for the future.

Camp NaNoWriMo and November’s NaNoWriMo aren’t the only events that helped me generate ideas. It was the combination of RWW, NaNo, and my own imaginings that made 2019 a fantastic year of new ideas.

Also, Pinterest. Pinterest is amazing for visual ideas that turn into great stories.

If you’re nervous about entering 2020 and have put a little more pressure on yourself than you maybe should have, I encourage you to make a list of all your 2019 accomplishments: things that you’re proud of, things that make you happy. They don’t even have to be writing-related. As long as you feel good about 2019 and look forward to 2020, it’s all good!

Thank you for making 2019 a wonderful year for me. Let’s look forward to 2020 together!

 

Photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash

Published by Rachel Sandell

Rachel Sandell is a writer and editor from Washington State, where rainy days necessitate long books, hot chocolate, and plenty of magic. Though she specializes in speculative fiction and harbors a love for the dark and enchanting, she also dabbles in poetry and is the archive project coordinator for Fireweed: Poetry of Oregon. She is an MFA graduate from the Rainier Writing Workshop, and her short stories have appeared in SORTES magazine, Night Picnic Press, and Leading Edge magazine.