Tag: new year resolutions

What is Your Word for 2023?

Published on by Debbie Johansson8 Comments
Free image courtesy NoName_13 on Pixabay.

I’m not usually one for coming up with a word that describes my plans for the year ahead, but before Christmas last year, I encountered one that I felt was very appropriate.

I’m a big lover of music, and as I was searching through Youtube, I encountered Adieu, the latest release from Rammstein. The video is amazing, and after a couple of listens, it quickly became an earworm. I read the English translation of the lyrics, and the song is really quite sad. I interpret the video to be about new beginnings; that in order to move forward, we must let go of the past. It has gone on to become one of my favourites of theirs (and yes, I’m finding myself going down a rabbit hole).

In 2023, I’m bidding adieu to my Marsden Hall series of novellas, (the final book, House of Echoes, will be released on 22 February). I will also be bidding adieu to a couple of writing projects I have been sitting on for a while, but this will also be a new beginning of sorts, too (so it works both ways). I’ll be saying adieu to a few personal issues as well, that have been holding me back for years, as I feel now is the time to move on.

I believe that some things happen in our lives at exactly the right time, and I feel the timing of this song is one of them. It’s given me momentum to keep moving forward. After the events of the past twelve months, I’m feeling more hopeful of the future. I’m looking forward to new beginnings.

Do you have a word you use to describe your plans for 2023? Is listening to music a motivator for your writing? Are you letting go of something that’s holding you back?

Celebrating Three Years as an Indie Author.

Published on by Debbie Johansson11 Comments
Free image courtesy Nick Morrison on Unsplash.

Happy new year! I hope you’re well rested and making plans for 2023.

I admit 2022 was not one of my best years. I had ongoing health issues which hampered my writing efforts. Despite that, though, it gave me time to reflect on what I considered important in my life; writing being one of them.

Before I self-published three years ago, I read that once I hit that “publish” button, my life would change. In some respects, it did. I had more work to do, and like blogging, I had readers to satisfy. The trouble was, I managed to get caught in the belief that to be successful, I needed to write fast. Add on the “fear of missing out,” and worrying about things out of my control, what once gave me pleasure, I soon began to dread. I even considered chucking it all in.

Thankfully, I managed to persevere, believing that my health issues were an opportunity for me to slow down (the slow and steady route has always been my preferred  option, anyway). I continued to take a step back from all the noise of social media and have come to realise the three most important things when it comes to indie publishing: –

  1. Focus on your product
  2. Do what is comfortable for you, and
  3. Enjoy the process.

Indie publishing is a lot of work, and we can get so caught up in all the rush we forget why we’re doing this in the first place. Sometimes we need to reassess and take the time to appreciate how far we’ve come.

My husband recently told me to think about my personal satisfaction. Knowing I have created something I am proud of, and that readers enjoy, makes it all worth-while.

If you’re an indie author, have you been overwhelmed, or do you prefer to do it your own way? If you’re not published, which option are you considering – traditional, indie, or both?

A Slow Start to 2019.

Published on by Debbie Johansson2 Comments

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas and relaxing break. I know mine has been so relaxing, I’m finding it difficult to get back into my writing (including blogging). 😉

Just before Christmas, my household had no internet (I know, great timing), and we went without it for about sixteen days. The kids weren’t quite climbing the walls, as they were aware of the issues. They managed to survive alright though! This is where I managed to relax and catch up on podcasts and watch some DVDs.

Just when I thought I could get back into writing once again, the temperatures began to rise, and I began to get sick. After a few days of abdominal pain, I spent some time in hospital, was told I was very dehydrated and had undergone a variety of tests. My health improved about a week later after taking some antibiotics.

The main take away from this experience was that sometimes life throws us some unexpected curve balls. We have to learn to adjust and be flexible (and in this case, I had to be more careful with my health). I had all my plans for the year worked out and ready to go, but I needed to take a step back for a little while. Now I’m getting back into it, slowly but surely. Which is also a very good reminder that when it comes to writing, it is a marathon, not a sprint.

I’ve tried to lower my expectations a bit this year, but as usual, I can’t resist making some big plans, such as losing weight, attending the RWA Australia conference in Melbourne and self-publishing. Sometimes having big plans can not only help us to stay motivated to achieve our goals, but also help us to get out of our comfort zones.

It’s hard to believe we are half way through January already! Let’s get moving! 🙂

Did you have a relaxing Christmas/New Year break? What are your plans for 2019?

Main image courtesy of Unsplash