Looking Forward to 2017

Here we are, nearly two months since last I updated you guys. NaNoWriMo came and went and there's just four days left of 2016. During the last half of this year, I've begun returning to my writing ambitions while embracing new possibilities.

First up though, how did NaNoWriMo go?

Unfortunately, I did not reach 50K this year. I enjoyed writing what I did. I'd like to eventually finish the project, but maybe have it be a shorter work. I'm actually okay with not hitting the 50K writing goal this year. While it would have been nice to keep up my winning streak, it's not all that important now is it? As long as I'm writing something, I'm fine.

So what am I writing now? A few months ago a friend and I talked about writing a screenplay together. While I don't know if that's going to actually happen at this point, that conversation got me thinking. Why don't I write a screenplay? I sat on that idea for quite a while though; that is, until last week. If you follow me on twitter you may have seen me mention a new project using #secretproject.

Why is it a secret? It's a secret because I'm writing it to see if I can. I'm writing it because I don't know if anything will ever come of it and I don't know if I particularly care if anything does. I'm writing it because I can. It's my first one. I'm learning how to format as I go. I have a basic concept down, and I'm taking my time with it. I'm enjoying the process. You know what I like best about this project though? It's very noncommittal. I just write what I want and stop at whatever ending sparks my fancy.

So What's Happening in 2017?

Well, first of all, my first two semesters will be from January-July; therefore, school comes first. I'm looking forward to it and learning things I can hopefully apply to my own writing.

Secondly, I would like to finish this screenplay hopefully early in the year. 

After July, it's my hope to return to working on Traitors & Tyrants. It's so close yet so far from being ready to query. At this point, I think part of the problem is that I'm a little afraid that I can't fix it, which is silly because I already have a plan on how to do that. But this fear isn't a new thing for me. It's the same type that has held me back from making other decisions and I know I just have to work through it. 

As for other projects? I don't know. Those are the only two I'd like to prioritize next year. Perhaps 2017 will see me really investing in a new novel for the first time in a while, but I'm not putting any pressure on that. I'm leaving 2017 pretty open and low pressure for my writing and I'm okay with that. I just want to focus on loving it again.