2017 is going to be great! I am determined to believe that. Not because I had a terrible 2016, in truth, 2016 was actually pretty great for me... except for that last bit, where Carrie Fisher died, and filled me with intense grief (seriously, I've never felt such grief over a celebrity's passing). But because I suddenly have drive and passion to return to the things I love to do.
Some amazing things happened in 2016:
I visited Rome, which was an incredible experience.
I reconnected with an old friend, at a point in my life when I was a little low in the friend department.
I completed the first draft of my third book in my series A Chronicle of Crowns
I won $5,000 to spend at Chapters, my favourite store.
Rouge One... ROUGE ONE!
And I'm sure a lot of other stuff happened too that I'm just forgetting. But after my trip to Rome, something happened that but a big downward spin on my creativity and drive... I got sick. Rome was amazing, and I would love to go back, the culture, the cuisine, THE TREVI FOUNTAIN, I could've spent the rest of my life in Rome and been perfectly content. But within an hour of returning to Toronto I knew I had caught something on the plane. And it would turn out to be the longest, roughest sickness I've dealt with in a long time. From August to November I fought off the bug that transitioned from a respiratory sickness to a cold to a sinus infection to a dry cough and all over again. And even now, I'm still in the tail-end of this weird, mutant cold, and it really killed my creativity.
I didn't shoot much in 2016. In fact, aside from little family outings and a couple of paying jobs, I haven't shot much since I left school. To be honest, I've been concentrating more on my writing than my photography. I really like photography, but my heart has always belonged to writing. This year, I'd like to shift focus a little and concentrate equally on my writing and photography. I've begun planning a series I've had simmering on the back-burner for a while now, a new writing-photography endeavour with a dark, fairy-tale-like feel. I've already started sketching out scenes and thinking about models, and hopefully I can begin shooting when spring arrives... mostly because I hate winter... and refuse to shoot in it.
In terms of writing, I'm going to concentrate on getting my novels published with an actual publishing company. In the next few weeks I'll be sending out cover letters and queries to a growing list of agents and publishers in the hopes of moving on from self-publishing. That's been the most nerve-wrecking thing over the last few years. Every time I send a query letter off I want to vomit for days. It's difficult trusting a project that you've worked so hard on and are so invested in, into someone else's hands. But, especially this past year, I've felt this push to get it out there (and have been doing my best to suppress that feeling). But this is the year. I just know it, 2017 will be the Year of Michael.
In terms of other writing, I hope to finish editing book three, and I'd like to compile a poetry/short story book, something small and entertaining to sell as well.
I just have a good feeling about this year. And though I've been known to have unfounded optimism, I just have a sense about this year. It's a new year, with new chances and opportunities to make it the best yet. So why not go for it, and make this the year of YOU, let your creativity flow, and let your optimism drive you forward!
Happy New Year, everyone!