New Year and New Challenges

First off, let's get the necessaries out of the way: Happy New Year! Hope you had a good celebration, or at least a good sleep with cool dreams, featuring unicorns and dragons.

My last post was a while ago and the main reason for that has been that I just haven't wanted to write. I've been deep in my own head these past few weeks, working out what's important to me and what's not, career-wise, and what I can do about it. But with the dawn of a new year I will hopefully find new inspiration (as well as old - see below) and get back on the writing horse.

My working life hasn't so much resembled a clear path but rather a shambolic, drunken wander through the woods, with a bag over my head and only my sense of smell to point the way. Which inevitably means I've always known what I don't want to do and not so much what I do.


This past year things have definitely changed. I've realised my love for words and storytelling, but also my intense interest in other areas: user experience, product design - aka, web shit. With one story published I know I can succeed to an extent in the story telling if I just stick to it and keep growing as a writer. The other stuff... well, it's a bit more tricky but at least I finally know what I want and that I'd love to make that my day job, with the writing carrying on in the background.

So 2013 is looking like it's going to be a year of change, which is no bad thing, but is scary. I've already started a pebble rolling that may lead to a new opportunity for me in the coming months, and am seeking out my old fail safes when I'm feeling a little uninspired. One in particular is Stephen King, whose "On Writing" has always been a source of huge motivation for me and I've just watched his Q&A session at UMass Lowell. He chats about Twilight, 50 Shades and even a bit about screenwriting. Well worth watching for any other wordsmiths out there in need of a bit of butt kicking to get back on the ink trail.



So here we are, in the brave new world of 2013 - who knows what it will bring but I want to make sure I don't just wait for opportunity to come knocking. Because it's sods law that it always comes calling when you're out or on the toilet taking a dump. Instead I want to go out there, net in one hand, taser in the other and hunt that damned thing down. I am coming for you opportunity. I will find you. And that's my only goal for 2013 - to go out and make changes to my life for the better, and live an active, rather than a passive life. Rock on.