Hello, everyone. It’s been…. quite awhile. One year, four months, and nine days to be precise. Yikes.
What have I been doing over the past year? Not a lot, honestly. OK, that’s not true at all. I’ve been busy, I just haven’t been writing. That kind of sucks, but it’s also been good in some ways, I think. I’ve taken some time to re-invest in my physical, mental, and emotional health through travel and running; worked really hard and grown a lot at my job; and done some definite values reassessing. But let’s get to some specifics, yeah? And then I can share some exciting news with you all!
2016: The Year Without Writing
We (David, our friend Stephan, and I) went to Yellowstone National Park this summer. We hiked through the back country for a few days and played tourists, too. That was a lot of fun, and the experience did give me some thoughts on things and images to bring into Oscar and Mary’s story. I definitely need some epic mountains.
I’ve been working a lot, for sure. There were some 50+hour weeks at the end of the summer. More recently, my workload has dropped considerably, which has been nice. With less to do I haven’t had to work more than 40 hours in a week for the past few weeks. Hopefully this stretches on for a while.
Let’s see… what else? Oh, David and I went to the Yakima Valley for our three-year anniversary and tasted some terrific wines. It was really wonderful.
Oh, also. ALSO! I trained for and ran a half marathon. Really, I should say I got back into running. More than succeeding in the goal of finishing one race, I finally feel like I have a solid running practice that I love.
So, this has not been a bust year for me. It’s been a settling year, where I’ve taken some time to get to know myself as an adult and to check in with my values.
I really haven’t been writing much, but in some ways this time has given me the space I needed to see my work with new and fresh eyes and to rediscover my motivation. Writing for me is more than just a hobby or career path; it’s my life’s calling.
What 2017 Looks Like for Writing
So, now for the “exciting news.” It comes in two parts, really.
Part A
I’ve started the process of revising Footfall, and have committed to seeking publication before my 30th birthday (that’s 2 years from now). A part of me woke up on November 9th this year, and I realized I had a job to do. Our world needs books now more than ever, books that can help people heal and inspire people to fight for good causes and hold empathy and compassion for their neighbors. I’d like to be part of that effort.
I’ve already re-read Footfall and gone back over the beta reader notes my friends Stephan and Ann gave me way back in March 2015 (thank you both again!). I have made a “to-do” list of editorial changes and installed Scrivener on my computer. I even have a draft for a new outline going.
Part Deux
David recently won a charity auction through the Worldbuilders fundraising campaign*. A professional writer is going to review my book and give me feedback. I don’t exactly know what to expect from this. If nothing else, I now have a deadline to finish this current draft by the end of February. And getting the opinion of someone who is already published will almost certainly be helpful.
Anyway, that’s what’s exciting in Hannah’s world. I do plan to write more on this blog, although I think I’ll change the format slightly. The whole “x things you can do to be better at x” format is really tiring. Maybe I’ll just give writing updates and share my general opinion on things. What do you guys think?
That’s it for me. How has everyone’s 2016 gone? Any exciting plans for 2017?
* Side note: Go, right now, to the Worldbuilders website and donate. They match your funds, it’s a great charity, and their store and perks are awesome.
H.L.M. Garrison 