Can you believe that this year is going to be over in just a couple of days? It definitely doesn’t feel like it to me. It kind of flew past. Still, the end of another year means it’s time for me to present a reflection of everything that’s gone on in this time span, something I always look forward to achieving!
First Quarter (January-March)
A lot of the early start of 2018 was pretty… underwhelming. I can barely remember a lot of impactful moments, but I can remember one significant detail: I completed my first fantasy series, “The Final Lesson,” and would later send it off into the world.
In this quarter, I also made a lot of discoveries about Indie publishing and small press, and how to really seek out the most adequate one for me. Sadly, I didn’t get to give “The Final Lesson” to a publisher like I had wanted, but that doesn’t mean that the series lacked any success by any means.
Second Quarter (April-June)
This is where the story begins to take a proper shape–where I actually got my moves in publishing going more fruitfully. I sent “The Final Lesson” out into the world, and so far, it’s been pretty well received.
In addition to finally getting the first half of my series published, I picked up a second form in my authordom, becoming a freelance editor. Work has been scarce on that front, but I’m not worried. Eventually, my adventure log will begin to pick up steam.
I also celebrated my 24th birthday in June, and in that same time-span was the gaming event of the year, E3! Where I finally got the announcement of my favorite video game series, Kingdom Hearts, getting a release date for the long-awaited third mainline game in the franchise. And as of today, that day is in exactly one month! I’m probably going to disappear during that time-frame just to play it.
Third Quarter (July-September)
September saw the release of the second half of my series with “The Sage’s Reign” coming to life. Book one had gained some traction, but book two unfortunately didn’t meet the same regard. I figure that in time, people will discover book two if they have love for the first half. So, no rush, no fuss.
Still, it became a bit of a theme to discover that I was in need of a massive break. I started realizing around mid-August that I was beginning to feel some burn-out. And boy, did it strike. But the year was still going strong, and I had something new to slide under my belt.
Fourth Quarter (October-December)
November is always the busiest month for me. Yes, I’m using that line again, but it’s painfully true. I work in retail, which means holiday rushes galore, and in addition to that, it’s National Novel Writing Month, which means cramming 50,000 words into a novel of your choice and creating something magical. And I knew I wasn’t passing up this year. I didn’t fail either. In fact, I finished my book.
I knew that I wanted to finish that book as well as start other projects, but I didn’t know how to fit the bill… until I went to work and saw a Snowball microphone that had been brought into the shop. I’d always had a penchant for voice work, and I had done it a lot as a teenager. I dove right back in. And it’s going great so far! I forgot how much I missed doing proper covers, being able to sing, dance, laugh, act… it brings out a whole new creative flair to me.
But partway through, I decided that December was going to be my month of rest and relaxation.
…I did not fully follow through with that.
I realize that my brain likes to keep busy. So instead of doing a lot of writing, I did some editing on the novel that I completed, and today, I got it back from my second pair of eyes for editing work. I started planning projects for voice work, doing auditions, even doing game streaming, and I’m going to enjoy what’s left of this year doing what I do best.
Keeping myself in check and doing everything I enjoy.
This new year is going to hold a lot of prosperity, hopefully even more than what 2018 offered me. And I can’t wait to share it with you all.
That’s the end of my reflection! I hope to see you all again, right at the start of it all! I’m gonna dive right in and make the most of everything in my path!
Shakyra Dunn 