It’s time for my annual accountability post, along with my reflections on the past year.
MY 2023 RESOLUTIONS:
I’ve been dreading this, since this year has been so abysmal.
- BE OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES (even if they are outside my comfort zone).
–SUCCESS: Honestly, I’m pleasantly surprised I accomplished this! It was a fairly vague goal, but I met it in a straightforward concrete way: I ran my first solo poetry workshop this year, as well as my first paid workshop! I was also interviewed for a library podcast, and participated in a few readings. Although I did not promote my work as much, I created most of my opportunities myself and definitely stepped out of my comfort zone!
- KEEP MAKING PROGRESS WITH MY WRITING.
–SUCCESS (PARTIAL): I began working on several new projects and made progress, though not as much as I’d hoped. I began assembling poems for a chapbook, so I’d have a less expensive option to sell at author events. My biggest project was creating an audiobook version of one of my books. I researched and experimented, even going so far as to record a long narrative poem I’d written as a test of sound quality, but ultimately I had to put it aside due to time constraints and family issues. I will pick it up again in January. Incidentally, if you know of a place (or a hack for recording without a sound booth), I’m all ears!
- TAKE CARE OF MYSELF MENTALLY.
–SUCCESS: It’s been a difficult year, personally. I’ve tried to visit my mother in Florida several times, but circumstances prevented me. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster this year, unable to visit my mom, worried about our home situation, unable to see most of my friends or even talk to them on a regular basis. At times, poetry and other writing has been a solace. At other times, I’ve been unable to concentrate and simply binged The Walking Dead or taken breaks. I’ve talked to my counselor when things felt like too much. Whatever I’ve needed to do to keep my head on straight, I’ve done. I may not be the happiest I’ve ever been, but I’m content and circumstances have improved.
I’ve been open to opportunities while also knowing when to say no. In the past, I’ve been overeager to volunteer to help others, only to find that I’ve overextended myself. This year, I remembered that sometimes it’s okay to say no.
I did volunteer for the Massillon Cemetery Crawl though–which was really fun! That counts as a mental health thing in my book.
YEAR ROUND:
*PROMOTE MY WORK
–SUCCESS: I continued to promote my work online and at in-person events.
*KEEP UP MY MONTHLY POSTING SCHEDULES FOR MY WRITING BLOG AND MY PATREON
–SUCCESS: I’ve posted quality content on both my writing blog and Patreon every month for the past year.
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MY 2024 RESOLUTIONS:
Honestly, I don’t know. Should I keep making them? Last year’s were broad and generic, so I kept them in mind all year and (mostly) accomplished them. I’d like to be more specific in 2024.
1. RECORD AND PUBLISH AN AUDIOBOOK OF MY WORK by year’s end.
–Most of the prep work has already been done for this. All that is left is to complete some text materials to accompany the audio, as well as complete the actual recordings. I’d like to complete an audiobook for both my narrative poem, “Gawayne and the Green Knight, Part II,” and for my poetry collection, Kaleidoscope.
2. COMPLETE AND PUBLISH A CHAPBOOK by year’s end.
–I’ve collected several poems for a chapbook already, but I need more. I have a lot of drafts in reserve, but they are still pretty rough. Also, if I decide I want to use those poems in a larger collection later on, I’m unsure how prior publication in the chapbook would affect that. So I need to do more research.
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REFLECTIONS:
This year, I read James Clear’s Atomic Habits, and the number one thing I took from that book was the idea that the direction your steps take you is more important than the size of the steps. This year has been a series of tiny steps, but I’m glad to say they’ve taken me in the direction I’ve wanted to go. I may not have traveled as far as I planned, but I know I’ll get there eventually.
I wish that all your efforts take you in the direction you want to go, both personally and professionally.
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Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you’ll return in January! I’ll start 2024 with a post about the books I’ve read in 2023, so maybe you’ll find your next great read. I hope your holidays are happy. Have a great new year. Stay safe, stay well, and read often. See you next year!
Cat Russell 