I am not someone who traditionally makes New Year Resolutions. This is because I generally forget about them; I don't give up on them or decide against continuing toward a certain goal - I simply forget. The whimsical fantasies for the future vanish like smoke in a stiff breeze. However, I enter into this new year (no capital letters) and this new decade with certain goals already set in my mind. So, with this in mind I want to talk a little about those objectives and what could be the content of my 2011.
Manifesto:
1) In July 2010 I began writing a novel. This is my first serious, earnest attempt at writing and completing a novel. I have tried before to write and force ideas into words but they very often resulted in pastiche and poor quality imitations of my own literary tastes. This time however, I feel very passionate about the story; perhaps because the story is in some ways my own story. It is coming too me very easily and I find the story to very often, be leading me where it wants to go.
I am a slow writer by nature; I think very carefully about what I want to say and the way I want to say it. I put a lot of consideration into the words I choose, the phrasing, the pacing, etc. It mirrors how I speak and think in many ways; I rarely say anything I haven't thought through. There are, of course exceptions. Sometimes I feel that I am a quarter of the way into my story; other times I feel I have barely scratched the surface. In any case, I want to finish the novel as soon as possible, this year. I would hope to have it edited and primed before autumn hits. Then we'll see about getting it published I guess.
2) I want to change the name of this blog. To begin with, I'm not so angry, bitter and frustrated anymore. I still want to use it to write analytical pieces, but the word "grumblings" seems to imply some kind of Daily Mail style opinionated rant; ill-informed and ill-advised. However, I am neither of those things when I write. I am also happier in my own life at the moment; there's a lot more positivity around me and I have so much support from various quarters. One person in particular has been incredible for my self belief and happiness. I cherish the friends and loved ones in my life right now.
I also want to use this blog to showcase my creative sides. I want to post more of my creative writing and use it as a sounding board for the novel. At some point I would want you all to see and read the damn thing so it makes sense to keep you informed of its progress. If possible I would also like to post music, photography, videos and art, etc that I create.
I'm not sure what this new name will be just yet... watch this space...
3) I want to progress in my SCUBA Diving qualifications. My next qualification will be Rescue Diver; I want this to be completed this year. If possible I would like to go one better and gain a few specialty qualifications (deep diving, wreck diving, etc...) or even my Divemaster qualification. This will probably mean a few jaunts to foreign climates which is all very, very, very good.
Propaganda:
That's pretty much it for now I guess. There's so much to look forward to in 2011 and it's only January. I will have my work published for the very first time this year. In April, the first installment of a serial I am writing will be published in Zenith! magazine. Zenith! is a brand new, creative arts magazine currently finishing its second issue for release in April.
The first installment is titled The Hardboiled Rose and will be featured in issue 2 of Zenith!. Issue 3 of Zenith! is being planned as "the Villains issues" with features and creative pieces on the themes and idea of the villain. True to form, the second installment in the serial will focus on my own villain. I hope some of you will support both myself and Zenith! by picking up a copy when it becomes available. I will give details of the magazine's release nearer the time. Again, as we approach the release date I will post a short teaser from The Hardboiled Rose here, online so please keep coming back and reading and thinking and sharing and commenting.
Also, in the next few weeks I will be writing more and more about the novel; giving a brief summary of the story, perhaps discussing some of the themes that are woven in. If I am so inclined I will post extracts as and when I write them.
Thank you for reading this, my first post of 2011. I wish you all a somewhat belated Happy New Year!
