Hello friends. This will be my last entry for the year, as next week finds me back on the east coast visiting my family and I expect I’ll be doing something with friends for the New Year’s weekend. However you experience this time of year, I hope you get to spend it with a minimum of stress and in the company of the people you love most.

I wish I could say I was ending the year on a high point, another week of perfect editing under my belt. The week hasn’t gone that way though, with me mostly falling off the wagon with my editing time. A busy social calendar combined with a ton of personal things to do put writing on the backburner for the week. Every day has been me saying “I should have time/energy tomorrow” and then not having time/energy tomorrow.

And really, isn’t that just reflective of how the year has gone? There’s been a lot of ups and downs in my energy and drive to complete the editing. It seems kind of fitting that even though I’ve been on a good roll since October that I finish the year dithering, much like I began it.

I’m not feeling too bad about things though. Yes, this year has been a bit rougher than I’d hoped, with my editing incomplete and my short story submissions stalled. But I still had some great experiences this year, with the writing retreat I did in the spring and the conference in the fall. My editing isn’t complete, but it’s a lot further along than it was. And I can kick back into submission mode anytime; those stories are still ready to go.

Most importantly, I’m still hopeful for the future. I think that once the holidays are done and life becomes a bit more routine again, I’ll be back into my good daily habit because I’m actually wanting to do it. Last year I dreaded the editing so I was dragging my heels. This year I’m eager, with the first section rewrites complete and, I think, very good. I’ve got a timeline for completion, to meet my goal of being able to pitch to agents at the next CanCon. I’ve got events to look forward to and new ideas I want to write. There’s a lot to be positive about.

So with hope and a surprising amount of joy in my heart, I’m wishing you, my dear readers, a happy year end and holiday. I hope to see you back here in January as we all continue our journeys to the destinations we dream of.