2020 in review
Well people, we’ve done it! We’ve made it to the end of 2020! In this final blog post for the year, I look back on everything that’s happened in the last 12 months and assess which of my goals I achieved. Come check out all the details and join me in my reflection!! →
Well people, we’ve done it! We’ve made it to the end of 2020! I always knew that this year was going to be a big one, but I can’t say I expected everything it has thrown my way. Looking back, I kind of can’t believe how much I’ve managed to get done despite the key developments and general chaos going on around me. Here’s a summary of the things I’ve had on my plate in 2020:
Australian bushfires. It truly seems like a lifetime ago now, but here in Australia 2020 began with terrible bushfires that raged across the country. I spent most of January contributing to the bushfire efforts, which was a rewarding experience. Here’s hoping this season is a quiet one!
Starting my first Real Job. Back in February, right off the back of the bushfires, I started my very first full-time job. It definitely took a bit to get used to working all day every day— suppose that’s just part of Adulting, right?—but I’ve really enjoyed the work and been lucky to have a secure job in these uncertain times.
COVID-19 pandemic. Little more needs to be said about this one, but where I live COVID-19 took hold in March, and by the end of the month I was working from home. My city of Melbourne endured two waves of the virus this year, and as I result I spent pretty much most of the year in lockdown.
Getting a new puppy. The highlight of my year was when I brought my new puppy home in June. Willow is a Miniature Schnauzer who rapidly put her pawprints all over my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve missed having a dog around; Willow has been the perfect distraction during lockdown!
Migrating my website. This year in August, I also finally look the leap and migrated this website / blog from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress. There haven’t been too many hiccups, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the flexibility that having a self-hosted site has brought!
So yes, that’s what I’ve had going on behind the scenes this year. 2020 was to mark the beginning of a new chapter of my life, and it has definitely made its mark. But despite all the challenges, this year has really taught me that we can cope with a lot more than we think we can, and we can achieve so much when we all stick together. How about you? What have you learned from 2020?
My goals for 2020 fell into three key categories: (1) blogging, (2) writing, and (3) reading. These goals are what I have used to track my progress throughout the year, and below I have gone through them one by one to determine whether I achieved them. Let’s go!
Publish 2 content posts + 1 update post per month
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: With the exception of January, which was accounted for at the start of the year, I successfully published 2x content posts and 1x update post each and every month throughout 2020! It was definitely a challenge at times, and something I will be reviewing for next year, but overall I’m pleased with the posts I’ve created. I really do enjoy putting them together!
Share at least 3 blog posts per month
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: This year, I FINALLY got around to sharing content produced by others in the online writing community. I set aside a section in my monthly updates for listing recommended content, and shared an average of 5 posts per update. One could say I well-surpassed this goal, even though I didn’t spend as much time trawling through other blogs as I have in the past!
Create a summary guide to self-publishing
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: This is one goal I am VERY pleased to have achieved. I chipped away at this little research project, looking into aspects of self-publishing which included editing, publishing platforms, distribution, financial and legal issues, design and production, and marketing. I’ve compiled this information into a OneNote notebook, ready for use if I follow the self-publishing route!
Finish querying Holding Up the Sky
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: I was a little slack on progressing my contemporary YA novel Holding Up the Sky this year, but I am proud to say that I gave querying a good crack. Though I only queried a handful of agents—I’m picky, okay?—I learned a lot from the experience and received some great feedback. I even got one request for a partial! From here, I will be attempting some direct submissions.
Write ~85% of the first draft of First the Song
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: Not gonna lie, it was HARD drafting a book this year. I wrote approximately 68.2% of First the Song, book 2 in my epic fantasy series Graceborn, which amounts to 143,287 words, before I decided to put the draft on hold. The main reason for this is that I will need to make some significant changes following feedback on book 1, and I want to conserve my writing energy!
Conduct round 1 beta reading of Blood of Old
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: Blood of Old, book 1 in my epic fantasy series Graceborn, has been out with my beta readers for the last 12 months, and I’m excited to announce that all feedback is finally in! A massive thank you to all my betas, who gave up time in this crazy year to read my book and let me know what works and what doesn’t. I’m looking forward to reviewing and editing in the New Year!
Write 50k words of a new standalone WIP
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: During NaNoWriMo this year, I worked on a brand new contemporary YA novel titled The Layers Beneath Us. I spent many months planning and outlining the book so I was ready to go by the time November rolled around, and over the course of 30 days I managed to not only reach 50k words, but to finish the entire draft! The final word count for the project was 56,656.
Read 40 books
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: I knew I would be busy this year, so I set my Goodreads challenge goal at a modest 40 books. But, as you can see from my Year In Books, I managed to get through 56 books this year—I suppose I can thank lockdown for that! I truly read some great books in 2020, and if you’d like to check out the ones I loved most, my top ten reads for 2020 were announced here.
Read at least 5 books by writers I follow online
ACHIEVED?
SUMMARY: Of the 56 books I read this year, 5 were by other writers I communicate and engage with online. And let me just say, those 5 books were excellent! It’s also worth pointing out that I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for another 3 writers, though I haven’t counted those books towards my tally. I look forward to checking out more such works in the New Year!
What were your accomplishments in 2020? Did you achieve the goals you set yourself? Is there anything in particular you learned from this crazy year?
Rebecca Alasdair
I'm an Australian indie author who hoards books, loves dogs and coffee, and has a tendency of staying up all night!
5 Comments
Andrew McDowell
In addition to the anthology publications I was in, I set up an Amazon author page as well as a profile in the Poets & Writers directory.
Rebecca Alasdair
Good one!! All the best for the New Year! 😊
Andrew McDowell
Thank you! Same to you!
Tomas
Looking back, starting a beta swap and a full-time job at the same time, only to have the world turn upside down just a few weeks later, was a heck of a timing.
Let’s hope for a calmer 2021.
Rebecca Alasdair
Oh yeah I definitely know what you mean! I suppose we can’t guarantee 2021 will be any less crazy, but we can hope, right? Happy New Year!!