Happy 2021! At the risk of cursing it, I am excited and cautiously optimistic about the new year. A few reasons why:
- We’re going to see the end of four years of tyranny and hate by a fascist wannabe dictator.
- There is a vaccine for the global pandemic that has been raging.
- We’ve got a plan to pay off almost all our debts by 2023.
- We have decided to move to LA in the near-ish future.
- I’m embracing my goals and making moves professionally.
- James and I are in a really good place and even happier with each other.
- Those I love most are all healthy and getting by in this craziness.
As far as years to end all years go, 2020 was it. We had some good, uplifting moments amidst all the terror, isolation, pain, and sadness, but overall…it’s been a nightmare I’m not sorry to see gone.
The biggest decision I’ve made actually came in the middle of December. I’ve decided to leave the school I’ve been teaching at for three years and leave teaching ESL in public schools. I’m actively on the hunt for middle- or high-school social studies or language arts positions. If I land a job teaching creative writing, even better, but I don’t think that’s going to be a plentiful opportunity within DPS or the nearby districts. Most of my passion and interests lie in history, current events, politics, and advocating for change, so Social Studies seems to be a logical choice.
Additionally, I want to officially start a writing and editing business and possibly a private ESL gig. I’ve been getting emails from a LinkedIn contact about it for months and it seems not only doable and profitable, but less exhausting than teaching in public schools. It’s something to look into. You really can’t beat the hours of working from home for yourself.
2021 will be a year of writing. for me, too.
In what feels like an unbelievably short time, I’ll be graduating from Full Sail with my MFA in Creative Writing.
I’ve decided to keep entering the NYC Midnight contests and the Short Story Competition kicks off on the 22nd. I’m registered and ready to go.
I am determined to finish writing the novel I started way back in 2015. I am aiming for the draft to be done by April 1st and to have it edited by June 1st. We’ll see if I can get it traditionally published or if I decide to self-publish it.
I want to really embrace NaNo’s philosophy of making writing a priority and see where that takes me. I consistently allow work to be my all consuming task and do so much that I either don’t have time for anything else or I’m just too tired to spend the time I do have pursuing something creative.
It’s going to be very difficult for me, but I am going to try and limit the hours I’m working at work (even if it’s from home) and allow myself to not feel guilty about not responding to every message or grading every assignment immediately or not making my typical “extra” videos for prework or elaborate slideshows for my classes. I have realized that I need more balance in my life or I’m going to be miserable.
I am a writer with a million stories in my head. It’s about time I took the time to tell them.
References
Write [Image]. (n.d.). https://www.buzznicked.com/amazing-quotes-2/
