So, it’s finally 2017. Which is a relief, since 2016 wasn’t the greatest vintage in the barrel. We lost far too many people many of us cared about, and… let’s just say that many things are no longer the way we knew them to be. A bit of a new start can’t be all bad, even though – personally – I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions.
I mean, if I failed to sort it out last year, what are the chances that I will do so this year? Or is that just the grammar nazi / engineer in me speaking? Re-solution? Solve something again? Whyever, if you did it right the first time?
Never mind. Let’s agree that I don’t do resolutions. I’m making plans instead. Linear ones if I can. And since I can’t see any further ahead than anyone else, my plan for 2017 currently has five distinct points. More will be added from a the rather vague “nice to have” bucket once I tick these five off.
What am I going to do this year? And I hope you notice the very positive vibe here. Not “would like to accomplish” but “am going to do.” 😉 That’s what making plans is all about.
- Get Married. Again. – In the same place as last time, and to the same man, in honour of still being a tight team after 25 years. Maybe even in the same dress, if I can find someone to help me put a back into it. And if, as of right now, I can locate the damned thing. I mean really… how can I have lost my wedding dress?
- Get to see X Japan live. – Chronologically, this should come first, since it’s scheduled to happen a week before our anniversary, but things change. We should have seen Yoshi, Toshi, Pata and the crew last year and were prevented by illness. Pata’s. Fingers crossed that he’s better and I get to watch Yoshiki play drums and piano for real.
- Finish and submit the glassmaker story. – I used to write nothing but fantasy and sci-fi. Then things changed. The glassmaker story started as a dream and didn’t leave me alone, so I went to look for my fantasy voice. A lot of words came spilling out and I ended up with something quite different from the story I was expecting. I’m still changing the title every few days, but Minel and Falcon’s story is almost ready to go. Now I just need to grow a pair to send it…
- Finish and submit Swings & Roundabouts, Jack and Gareth’s fourth book. – This is a book full of arguments and reconciliations and it’s been bugging me for over a year. It’s hard to write because I don’t like fights and Swings, where Jack, Gareth, Nico and Daniel learn to work as a family, is full of them. While I can predict Jack fairly well, Gareth and the boys surprise me at times and each such surprise needs time to think about reasons and implications. Those four really have taken hold of my heart and I want to tell their story the best way I can. I’ve already written book #6, so once Swings is out of the way, it’s on to making plans for the one in between.
- Read kana. – A personal challenge with a lot riding on it. I’d been wanting to visit Japan for many years. In 2015 we had the perfect first holiday. I’d spent a year learning to speak basic Japanese, so I could make sure my husband wouldn’t accidentally eat meat or fish out of ignorance – he’s been Vegetarian for as long as I’ve known him – and the language continues to fascinate me. As does the country and its exceedingly welcoming people, its music, history and the most amazing food. I’ll never be able to explain how I, a card-carrying introvert, fell in love with Tokyo, but I can’t wait to go back. And I want to be able to read menus and signs. I want to mangle the language a lot less when I speak and I want to be able to do a lot more of the speaking. Last time I did an audio-only course, so learning to read is top of the list. And by the end of 2017 I want to be able to do this.
There are plenty more “want to dos” in the bucket. Just take a look at the WiP shelf and you’ll know that I could write all day every day and still struggle to make a dent. That’s fine. Just as it’s okay that there’s a day job and assorted other “life” things that will need to happen this year. The plan will get added to as the year plays out, but if those five get ticked off, I’ll consider myself okay.
So what about you, then? Are you making plans or are you a fan of New Year’s resolutions? Or none of the above and something utterly different?
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