“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.”
- Rebecca West
It is that time of the year again when most of us are preparing to welcome another year with open arms. A year that we think will signify new beginnings, a year where we hope things will be better and different. But then, as the world has shown us time and again, it always has surprises up its sleeves, some black swan event round the corner over which we have no control.
So instead of hoping for new beginnings, I thought of celebrating the endings, looking back with gratitude and thanking god for all the blessings I received during the year to feel good about myself and the world around me.
The Year That Was
Now, as I look back on 2022, I feel satisfied with my growth curve as a writer. While I started writing in 2021, I came into my own as a writer this year, penning 57 finished short stories, 4 writing blog posts, 7 book reviews, 1 personal essay, 25 non-fiction blog posts and 11 leadership articles during the year. 25 of my short stories were published across various platforms and anthologies across the globe, winning awards and recognition; some of these short fictions can be read at my writing website https://www.smitaswritepen.com/. This is apart from the 45 non-fiction blogs and personal development articles. The year was nothing short of a writing marathon for me.
While I have been fortunate to experience many highs during the year, the one defining moment for me was the publication of my first novel, A Price to Love. Not because it took four years from inception to publication, not because it revolves around a strong career-oriented woman having flaws, and not because it was a complex take and complicated subject to pull off. But because of the tremendous love it has received from the readers. More than the 150+ reviews in less than three months, the words of wonder and encouragement for the book despite the unconventional protagonist bring me a sense of fulfilment. Of course, firsts are specials, and it was a special feeling to hold the copy of the book in my hands. But the feeling of others loving your labour of love is unmatched.
Lessons I will take with me to next year…and those I will leave behind
There are two lessons from 2022 that I would carry into 2023 and beyond. The first is to be consistent. I have been making it a point to write something every day for the last two years; this consistency has led to two books plus two drafts-in-progress in two years besides the 130 plus short stories, blogs and articles. All giant strides begin with small steps taken consistently, which I intend to continue doing. The second one is to push past your comfort zone. I have dabbled in multiple new fiction genres in 2022 — science fiction, historical fiction, horror, paranormal, mythological fiction, and speculative fiction being a few of them. I don’t prefer reading some of these genres, so writing them down was like breaking my creative walls repeatedly. Some of these stories later turned out to be award-winning ones making me realise that growth only comes with stretching your horizons.
One of the lessons that I would like to leave behind in 2022 is going after quantity. I had this habit of moving over to the next story, article or blog soon after finishing up a current draft, spending little time editing. I believed that writing and editing are two separate things, and the day is a waste if I have not penned something new. It was only towards the last few months of this year that I started observing the transformation of stories where the editing was done unhurriedly, with a reasonable time lag after completing the first draft. Quality always triumphs over quantity. While my output may be less in 2023 vis-à-vis 2022, I will become a better writer.
I want to continue following my passions
Writing is a passion. It is my constant endeavour to improve as a writer and person, and I look forward to celebrating 2023 with similar gratitude and satisfaction.
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