A year of little steps

Getting back to reading

This year I added a few more steps to the goal I committed on December 2021. Then, I realized I was not the reader I thought I was; also, I needed to start taking action if I were to write short stories and publish them. So I promised to venture again into the world of books and find more time for writing. You see, I want to become a writer, and the only way to do it is to believe it and act as one. So I would repeat myself every day the following motto:

Are you a writer today?

A writer reads, and a writer writes. Asking myself that question, I would find a spot in the day for either one or the other. During the first quarter of the year, I focused on reading — as I would procrastinate the writing part telling myself excuses. It was not as easy and flowing as I imagined; I would struggle with sections of the books, get hooked, and then be momentarily bored, but I would continue no matter what.

The most valuable tool through this journey was Goodreads. Seeing how the bar moved little by little, how from 10% eventually went to 30%, served as a great motivation to avoid quitting. Before, I tried several methods, from journaling to adding checks on a calendar, among others. Goodreads was the one that worked for me, and by the second quarter of the year, reading was not a struggle anymore; I even managed to focus, no matter the noises around me.

Another great feature is Goodread's Book yearly challenge; I feel proud of myself, even if I didn't reach it; I managed to read more books this year than any other before.

My journey started on December 2021, re-reading some of the authors I admired when I wrote my short stories 20 years ago. In 2022 I set out to discover new voices, and for the first time, I read works from known authors such as Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, Steven King, Shirley Jackson, Raymond Chandler, and short stories from many others.

What still needs work

Writing still has a lot of room for improvement in my life. I still struggle with finding the right time, breaking through the friction of fear and doubt, and being constant. Despite it, I saw myself creating works in English and Spanish for the first time, leading me to switch my brain over two distinct voices and approaches. Also, I was fortunate to join a fantastic team for the Mundial de Escritura, which helped me warm the machinery to write more without a deadline.

The creative output of 2022 was also a success: I wrote 30K words of a Novella which is still unfinished, and I created four short fiction stories and a considerable amount of quick drafts for potential stories. I joined the Science Fiction Workshop taught by Prof. Jose Urriola, which expanded my knowledge of science fiction and its sub-genres; met wonderful people, and received critiques and recommendations that improved my stories.

Yes, writing is hard. Little by little, I'm learning what works for me and what doesn't. I found the benefits of longhand writing to avoid computer distractions and how typing on a computer benefits certain types of stories. But, I also learned while writing the novella that once you get the habit going, it doesn't matter where you are; the craving for writing will make you do it at any time and in any circumstance.

For 2023, I aim for more reading and constant writing. I look forward to discovering more authors and reading more short story collections and non-fiction. For my goals on writing, I will aim for one short story per month and earn at least 1€ on a short story submission.

The takeaway

No matter how many interviews or books you read, you won't know what works until you start. I stopped asking/researching early on in the year about authors' writing processes (which was a subject that, for some time, I studied extensively). One needs to find the way that best suits oneself and iterate over it; it might even change after some months.

So, what was the main takeaway from all that reading and video watching? You have to do the work.

There's one quote from Neil Gaiman that I like very much about writing, which pretty much sums it up:

Sometimes making stuff up feels a lot like Coyote running across the empty space between one rocky pinnacle and the next, and as long as you keep moving, you're fine. When you stop and look down, it's suddenly all too apparent that there's absolutely nothing underneath and that you're keeping in the air by a peculiar effort of will.
And then a good day comes, and you start running through the air once again, and, if you're smart, you resolutely don't look down.

For the coming year, I wish us the courage and will to persevere in pursuing our dreams.

Let's run through the air in 2023!