New Year, New Focus

So the new year is approaching and while I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore, the timing coincides with a resolve to stop wasting time and get more writing done and submissions sent out, as well as work on the sequel to Revenants Abroad, and finish the romance I started and have been posting at a glacial pace on Wattpad.

My problem (ok, one problem) is I have too many interests, but not the time to indulge in them. There’s a Star Trek:TNG episode in which an alien woman named Kamala (played by Famke Janssen) wows Capt. Picard with her knowledge of archaeology (a passion of his). He expresses surprise and admiration at this, and she tells him that she tries to stay informed on a wide range of topics. I envy people who can do that. I’ve always tried to read widely and learn as much as I could about whatever piqued my interest. Lately I’ve had to be realistic and acknowledge that I don’t have the luxury of time Kamala did. I can either spend tiny bits of time on a million things or I can focus more on my writing, which I’ve let slide to some degree while being distracted by politics and other things on Twitter. Oh my god I waste time on Twitter. My Craft studies have ground almost to a complete halt, with the one exception being my Tarot collecting. But collecting isn’t studying. I have a number of Tarot books that have been waiting for longer than I can say for me to get around to reading. And for Christmas I received a lovely new book on herbs which I’ve added to the TBR pile, Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic

While Twitter opened a wider world to me, and indeed can be a great help for writers with all the practical advice and wisdom, resources, and moral support, I have to learn how to put the brakes on. Maybe a time limit per day, or per week.

My aim this year is to devote the majority of my free time to writing, and things that help me along that path: reading more for pleasure and books on the craft of writing. Let’s hope I can stick to it.

Wishing you all a very Happy 2019. May you all prosper and reach your goals in the coming year.