There’s an assumption ingrained in human culture that all progress is linear. The myth that all evolution is improvement, that all growth builds on the past, that all change is for the better is so built in that people will flatly deny anything else.
Science doesn’t see it that way.
In science – particularly in biology which is what I was educated in – we understand that evolution is simply things changing over time. Not changing for the better. Not improving. Simply changing to survive. The mechanism of evolution is surviving to pass genetic material to the next generation. Anything that allows that, even if it might impact your life negatively, is enough. Because life is only interested in survival as a whole, not an individual’s private desires.
2021, for me, was a year of huge changes but little career growth. My oldest daughter graduated high school (itself an incredible feat), got her mission call, and moved out. I’ve lived more of my life with Eldest than any other human on the planet, including my husband (who spent several years alone overseas because of work), so having her outgrow living at home and set off on her own was a huge change. Because of COVID I transitioned to being a fulltime 4th grade teacher at home so my at-risk youngest child wouldn’t be in a classroom (which was a very good choice).
All that growth and change was in my personal life. The balance of my attention went to survival and protecting my kids. Which meant that my attention wasn’t focused on growing my career, running another ad campaign, or breaking a record word count.
I did release a new book (If You Give A Skeleton A 3D Printer) and re-release the Time & Shadow series (which is on sale on Kobo in January).
Several of my clients had their first pro sales this year. Others won awards. That’s always gratifying.
My agent accepted a new series I wrote in 2020.
And yet it doesn’t feel like enough… or it didn’t. I kept setting the finish line at getting a response for my work. At getting reader feedback, or reviews, or another sale, or a note from my editor. And it’s true the publishing is a relay race. You do your part and then hand it off to the next runner.
But you can’t measure your success by someone else’s actions. That is the path to ruin and madness.
So this year I started focusing on doing things because I wanted to. Not because I was centering the needs of the future reader, or writing to attract a certain editor, or even hoping to impress my agent (again). I was writing the things that brought me joy.
I’ll be honest, it feels a little less focused than goal-oriented writing. But it’s also been very fun to get back into the habit of playing with language and plots.
What will come from this?
Who knows!
What does 2022 have in store?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Are there more books on the horizon?
Always.
Happy New Year, everyone. May the odds be ever in your favor.