Saying Good-bye to 2014

As we close on 2014, I am left with a single thought: I am going to do better in 2015.  I must.

Ending the year in such a headspace is difficult, but I would be lying if I implied anything otherwise. The truth is that I gave up on my dream for a season (or at least 2 months); I lost sight of what I loved and why.  I put money in place of value, and I filled my time with needless diversions and excuses rather than doing the hard work required to become a great writer. And I lamented these choices while I was making them and even moreso after the fact.

Like most optimists, however, I see a benefit to these lost days. You see,  I have tried--with little success, really—to share with you my writing journey--the up’s and down’s and day-to-day. If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that while I’ve shared highlights and disappointments, I’ve failed to be consistent (which is a key component of a successful blog) and am changing my goal set for 2015. If nothing else, the season when I became distracted is evidence that writers can lose sight of the prize and yet return to it—and with greater productivity and vigor than they might have had were they to have coasted through that period.

But as I’ve said, that period is passed, and my mind is set on the future. I have many things I plan to accomplish in the next 12 months, but the major ones are as follows:

To revise and re-release Stronghold

To release To Retreat From Romance

To draft my first fantasy novel (During National Novel WriteMonth, 2015)

To release study aids for my two novels in PDF format on my publishing site.  

To publish my first children’s book, Franklin Finnigan

To publish a series of blog posts regarding Writing as Worship

Maintain a consistent presence on Twitter and Flickr

This looks insurmountable, but it is not. I am confident I can get all of this done if I approach it correctly--treating each of these projects not as large works to be completed in a few sittings but rather as the end results of many intentional, shorter sessions and countless smaller tasks. Like dieting or building muscle, patterns of consistency and hard work will dictate the outcomes of the above and ultimately bring the success toward which I am reaching.

Of course, it’s all in God’s hands. Any good work I am able to accomplish is by his grace alone. I must never forget this; in fact, I must always affirm it—placing it at the forefront of my efforts and goals. Does the above list honor him? Will finishing these projects reveal more of his beauty to the world? Will these works benefit the kingdom or merely me; and if the latter, am I prepared to walk away from them? 

As I’ve said repeatedly, time will tell. And that time will happen in the next 12 months. I am deeply looking forward to this; my soul longs to see the outcome of this time next year.

May the Lord grant me the time and energy to chase it with unabashed enthusiasm. May he carry me to such work that his glory would be evident to all who engaging the output of 3LC Publishing. May my vainglory and conceit be stifled in light of what he wants me to accomplish, not for my glory but for his.

Pray for me, that all this and more should come to pass. And thank you advance for not only this prior year but for staying with me in the one to come.