Simple Answer: No.
Is that a good or bad thing? That depends on how you look at life and your accomplishments, I suppose. I had big plans, but time is a winless race, and I couldn’t get to a lot of it. That is life, right? So no big deal. Firstly, I had been running a podcast for the last few years, but decided to end it this past September. This time last year, I felt as though we were ready to take the podcast to the next level. One of the founding members of the podcast left the year before due to life situations, so it took the two us remaining a little time to adjust. We were hitting our stride, and I wanted to try to grow it, but unfortunately, it was all left in my hands. I got burned out trying to manage life, work, being an author, and running every aspect of the podcast while receiving nearly zero contribution from my partner. Something fun, turned into unpaid work, and I decided it was best to move on. So, that’s something I’m no longer doing that I was doing last year. Probably for the best. I will indeed return to podcasting once I find some folks that are as passionate about it as I am.
Something I had not expected at all last year, was that I’d make writing a high priority. For probably close to ten years, writing has always taken a backseat. I’d write, but I would prioritize everything else over it. December 2023, I started my blog, and I post content weekly. The topics I research and write about are: cryptids, folklore/folktales, mythology, horror, science fiction, and Star Wars. Most of what you’ll find on my blogsite will be cryptids and folktales with the other topics mixed in for a change of pace. Anyway, before last December, I wasn’t researching and writing. I hadn’t planned on doing this at all, but a really good friend of mine suggested it and I’m forever grateful for the suggestion because it opened me up to a new hobby that I’ve always been interested in; cryptids. I’ve also been told that my writing has improved greatly this past year. So did I picture myself being a better writer, and a consistent writer last year? No, but it is a wonderful surprise and I’m just truly happy about it. I look forward to continuing to improve this coming year, and sharing more pieces on all the topics I listed above!
I had pictured I’d be finished with the fourth book from my short story miniseries by October, but that didn’t happen. I took a long break after starting it, and only just recently got back to it. I’ve been writing consistently, and I think the break helped because I feel like I’m doing some of my best storytelling with this one.
So while a lot of this sounds like a bummer, or bummer-ish; it isn’t at all. It’s not what I pictured for my creative part of life, but I feel like I’ve grown not just as a person, but as a writer/content creator. I feel good about what I’ve done, and I hope I can say that again next year if this daily prompt pops up again. I hope all of you that read this were able to see or achieve something you pictured for yourself last year, this year. If you didn’t, just keep going and you’ll get there.
jonsolosebastian.org 