Looking Toward 2014

The times they are a-changing. Literally. 2013 has passed, and 2014 lays before us. I began the year in a cold-induced stupor, too tired to begin anything new or continue working on my many pending projects. Fact is, 2013 really took it out of me. Perhaps it was the new job in the big city or the release of Stronghold. Maybe it was the fact that I'm getting older or I carry a certain listlessness over my place in life. For whatever reason, I left last year feeling lower than I might've thought and dreading the work ahead of me in 2014. I'm not proud of this outlook, but it is the truth. Those who have been following the blog for any amount of time know that such an attitude is not the norm for me. 

Something is amiss.

I have pondered what that might be a great deal in the last three weeks. Am I misreading my vision? Should 3LC be a place for promoting others' works rather than mine? Can I handle another year of revising and releasing a novel? I don't know the answer, but I know that my reviews of others' works were my most read posts in 2013, and some of the most fulfilling to write. I also know that Stronghold was a cakewalk compared to the average book release. This next one will require a bit more effort.

But I'm not going to quit on my own company just yet. I am just being forced to re-evaluate my position and outlook. I have another novel I want to release by December, and I have developed a grassroots marketing strategy that I plan to implement for its release. I also have a few short works I would like to complete, not the least of which is a short study guide to accompany Stronghold. Frankly, the more I share that novel, the more the study guide seems appropriate and useful. Plus, Stronghold is a good book; I still have confidence in it, and I believe more readers will find it this coming year. 

I know it's been a week since I last posted, but life may look that way in 2014. Last year, I dedicated myself to a blogging schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday; but moving into the next twelve months, I will need to shift my writing priorities from blogging to book writing. I have several projects on deck for 2014, and this year may be a significant one for 3LC. As a result, blogging will become more irregular, though I am still hoping for 10 articles a month. 

We'll see how that works. 

For now, I'll just set the expectation that January will be a bit wonky, and by February we'll start seeing things find a new normal for the new year. I hope that you'll continue to join me for it; I plan to make it a doozy!