Happy Halloween and All Saints Day! Keep an eye out for departed souls, and for spirits from last Halloween. I hope you all got some good candy, dressed up, and had fun. My brother and I started watching The Good Place, a dark comedy about the afterlife, morality and ethics.
My short story “The Serpent of the Lake” is published at Expanded Horizons. Feel free to take a read if you like discussions on colonialism and Hindu mythology.
Some years, you make goals. You want to feel accomplished, to know that you feel a sense of control over your time and energy. And who knows, actually accomplishing the manageable makes a person feel good.
I made a small goal to practice violin once a month, for every month. I kept that goal up for a while; my violin didn’t necessarily improve, but I made an effort to put in a little bit of time. There is a comfort to putting your fingers to the string, and rubbing rosin against your bow to prepare for a play.
Last month, I broke that streak. The same month, I broke my streak of posting to this blog on a regular basis. A few things happened in October that made me not care or have the energy. And so my violin remained in its case all month. I did draft a blog yesterday that I will post later.
Despite this, I made other goals. In July, I wrote one flash fiction piece a day for a Deviantart challenge, and did 31 drawings for Inktober. I’ve gotten five short story acceptances, from drabbles to three-thousand word tales. During the spring and summer, I worked on a rather big project for hire that will come out in 2019. My friends joined an online writers support group that I run. These accomplishments matter.
You have to appreciate the steps you make, and keep making goals that you can manage. Focusing on just your failures can demoralize a person. And goodness knows, a lot of demoralizing events have occurred this year.
This month, I’m hoping to tackle Nanowrimo and write 50,000 words in a month. In addition, I hope to keep submitting to anthologies and magazines, and support my friends in their endeavors. That is all a person can do. And I will resume the violin. This year isn’t over yet. Plus, I want to record some Disney songs so a friend can dance.
Have a good month, everyone. Stay calm next Tuesday, and remember it’s all right to get derailed. What matters is finding out how to get back on track.
That is such an important point––to pay attention to the wins we make, not just the losses. It’s a hard lesson to learn. I’m so proud of you for making those publications. That’s awesome!