The Year in Review (2020)

Gulagram

Dec 29

This is a particularly challenging year to review. On one hand, 2020 was nothing short of a nightmare for most of the world. Between COVID-19, social unrest, and a chaotic election season, everyone’s more than happy to leave this year behind.

But for me, 2020 was spectacular. Kim and I finally left apartment living behind; we settled into a townhouse that feels more like “home” than anywhere I’ve lived in a decade. We’ve got a baby on the way. (More on that laer.) And my job transitioned into a fully remote position, which has done wonders for my mental health.

Oh, and 2020 was maybe the best creative writing stretch I’ve had since I published Planes of Solace in 2016.

So, yeah. Mixed feelings. Mostly positive, but it’s hard not to spend a few minutes dwelling on the bad stuff that we all overcame together.

Here comes the son

Obviously my biggest news for 2020 is a baby on the way. And it’s all becoming more real as we get closer to his due date (Feb. 18).

Last month, Kim put a ton of effort into planning a baby shower. It was a lot of fun to see loved ones, especially after a year of social distancing. And especially because it’ll be awhile before anyone gets to come down and see the baby next year.

We’ve got the nursery set up, and all of the furniture/clothes/toys are squared away. We’re halfway through an online course to prepare us for delivery and early parenthood. Heck, we even have a nanny arrangement in place for once maternity/paternity leave ends.

All of that means we can really just lean into the excitement of what’s to come. There’s always going to be a little stress around any major life change, especially when it includes a lot of hospital or medical visits. But the scale definitely tips in favor of the good stuff now that everything else is ready.

Oh, and we’ve got the name picked out too: “Graham Finley Gula.” No Room in the Sky fans will recognize the first name; it’s something Kim and I chose when we started dating, in fact. But the middle name has been up in the air for awhile.

In the end, we settled on “Finley” because of the baby’s personality. He’s active and a little bit mischievous, so the name just felt right. (We clearly doubled down on the Gaelic vibes, huh?)

From the writer’s desk

During my last year in review, I set the goal of writing a novel in 2020. At first, I struggled to commit to any story idea, which made it hard to write. And since the entire point of this resolution was to get back into the habit of writing every day (or close to it), I realized my goal might be a little unrealistic.

An episode of the Writing Excuses podcast changed all that. One of the hosts mentioned something he did at the start of his career as an author. Since all novels are different, most editors measure a writer’s progress by word count. Any novel could change over time, or even necessitate a total rewrite. So setting smaller, more measurable goals is a better approach to use across the board.

And hey, I love goals and to-do lists and plans. That sounded perfect for me.

My writing goal for 2020 shifted from “finish a novel” to “write 180,000 words.” (The Name of the Wind is about 240,000 words by comparison.) I could break this goal down to 15,000 words per month, or 500 words a day. And that all felt totally achievable. More importantly, a word count would give me the freedom to change projects or write short stories if I couldn’t get into a longer project. After all, the real intention was to get back into the habit, not pitch a novel to agents.

Well, I met the goal…even if it was a close finish. But the really cool thing is that I did finish a novel. I started one in January, then moved on from it in April. Instead, I planned to write a novella, something that would be a prequel for a new story.

That novella grew into a 120,000-word book. And, as of last week, I put the wraps on that story and can close the cover. I didn’t do any outlining or planning, which was a first for me. It’s also not something I would share without a lot of editing help first. But you know what?

It got me back in the groove and gave me ideas for future stories, which makes 2020 feel like a pretty big success for me as a writer. I’m not sure what 2021 will look like once the baby is here, but I’m glad to be writing and daydreaming about imaginary worlds again.