simpleek

It has been quite a year for a lot of us and our reaction to it will vary for many of us based on our own personal experiences. I can’t say 2017 has always been smooth sailing for me. Aside from the worldwide emotional roller coaster we’re all collectively experiencing together, there have been my own personal bumps and struggles I endured at the start of 2017. I’m grateful for the turnaround I experienced just before the year ends and I’m in no way taking it for granted. You really do appreciate things more when you have to fight, struggle, and work your way through everything you do. Now that Christmas is behind me and New Year’s is not too faraway, a number of things are already coming up before I wave 2017 goodbye and embrace 2018.

Anyone who has followed my blog for as long as they have know I love to travel when I take vacation. This time is no exception. Instead of waiting for 2018 to jump start my next travel adventure, I’m ending 2017 with a trip that will run through the beginning of the new year. My blog will be going on a week long hiatus and regularly scheduled posts will resume on January 8. This vacation will be more relaxing, while catching some sights in between as I sail my way through parts of the Caribbean on a cruise ship. I don’t anticipate any hectic running around, as there are fewer stops on this trip and more sea days to either partake in ship activities or find a little nook on the ship to do more writing. This brings me to my next point—my wishes for 2018.

I might have brought this up many times before of how I’d like to get more writing done that’s beyond just keeping my blog. Writing my fantasy novel has been an uphill battle of finding time, energy, and motivation to write one full draft of a manuscript. I’m pretty sure I wanted to make 2017 the year I hunkered down and finally got my novel written. Or at least get farther in it than just being stuck at the very beginning of my character’s journey. But we all know life doesn’t exactly go the way we plan and you have to sometimes go with the flow. I must admit that personal circumstances have detracted from that goal I intended for myself. Now that I feel I’m more settled, I think 2018 may be a good year for writing. My biggest wish and hope for the new year is that I will hit my stride with my novel and I’ll keep going until I have an imperfectly finished draft on my computer. Of course writing is really 99% rewriting, as one famous author has said but I forget who, and it’s true. My work will be far from over with my novel, however, it’ll feel good to celebrate having a beginning, middle, and end. I still don’t know what will happen when I get to the point of feeling satisfied with my finished and edited product to want to consider submitting it for publication, whether I self-publish or not, but that’s really neither here nor there. The most anyone can do is take one step and then another until you finally realize you’ve reached your desired destination.

The new year will also still have more gaming and writing about it in 2018. When I come back from my vacation, I will resume my monthly video game challenges and see how much more of my backlog I can complete. 2017 has been a very good gaming year for me with the completion of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Final Fantasy XV, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies. Finishing a total of four games isn’t too shabby when time for grown ups isn’t what it used to be. It also helps that there hasn’t been too many video game releases I wanted to add to my catalog of games. I’m hoping 2018 will be very manageable when it comes to gaming.

I think the biggest and final wish I have for the new year is that it gets better for everyone, whether it’s those near and dear to me or the world at large. 2017 has been a strange and dark time. I know love ones who have endured their own personal struggles and just need a break. The world itself needs more kindness, love, appreciation, and integrity. Somehow those have taken quite a hit and it’s appalling to watch it unfold the way it has. The future will always be uncertain and unpredictable. But we can all hope for better and do our part to make it so.

Advanced Happy New Year and see you all in 2018!