2015 has been an… interesting year.
There have been some difficult spots. in February, my dad died after an 18 year battle with cancer. In March, my mum came to live in a granny flat at our place (that needed a LOT of renovating).
And as if that wasn’t enough, the stock photography company that was a large part of my income changed some rules that cut my income dramatically. I opted out of their exclusivity program, and began uploading to other sites. This was a huge time sink, and has only been a minor increase in my income.
Needless to say, I didn’t manage to write much at all in the first half of the year. A lot of my writing projects, especially ones that required a lot of thought and concentration (like Reckless Remedy), were put on hold.
I did mkae some progress on writing related endeavours. In March, I made Reckless Rescue permafree, and that helped my publishing earnings climb a little. Buoyed by this success, I made Twin Curse permafree in June. It’s been less successful, probably because it’s a more complete book, with less need to read the follow up.
In July, I published Waking the DragonĀ (now free as well!) the first instalment in the Dragon Ruins serial. It’s doing reasonably well, though it’s still early days in the series. Because these episodes are shorter (less than 20,000 words), I can write and edit them more quickly, which helps keep me motivated.
I know it’s early in the year for a wrap up post, but I feel like now is the time to write this. I finally feel like I’m coming out of the fog that I’ve been in most of the year. I feel like I can set (very flexible) deadlines, and have a chance at meeting them. I feel like I can take on a bigger project, and actually achieve it.
In fact, this month I managed to get two manuscripts completed and ready to upload. Bedding the Dragon, part 3 in Dragon Ruins, and a surprise project, that I’ll be announcing to my mailing list soon.
Next month, I’m finally tackling Reckless Remedy for NaNoWriMo! You can watch my progress on my NaNo Author Page. If you’re doing NaNo too, feel free to buddy with me.
I’m hoping that for the rest of the year, and into next year, I’ll be writing a lot more, both on my stories, and here on my blog.
And thanks everyone for your patience.
Oh honey it sounds like you’ve had a helluva year. Let’s hope it’s on an upward curve now. I take my years from September to September (an academic year because of the kids) so this feels like a perfect time for a review. And you have the bonus of moving into summer rather than winter.
Good luck on Nano. I won’t be joining this year, as I’m editing for a competition, but I’ll be thinking of you.
Thanks. I’m really hoping 2016 will be a much better year!
Moving into summer is definitely helping. The garden is growing, and things are feeling like they’re moving again.
Good luck with the editing, and the competition!
Thanks for sharing your tumultuous year Rinelle…I hope things get better for you from now on. Good luck for November…can’t wait for Reckless Remedy! But I’ve loved the Aussie dragon though š Take care and all the best!
Thanks Brenda. Tumultuous is exactly the word to describe it. I’ve actually just been reading over the little bit I have written for Reckless Remedy, and I’m really looking forward to diving into it. It’s going to be a tricky, but hopefully rewarding, book. Can’t wait to see what you think of it. š
I know it’ll be great! I really enjoy your work (read Bedding the Dragon last night – review soon) and can’t wait for Reckless Remedy š
Thanks Brenda!