It is my favorite time of year. Business slows, the days are short, there is more space for writing, for focus. When everyone else is feeling the stress of the holidays, I am snuggled by the fire with a warm cup of spiced cider and my laptop, dreaming. My word counts in December are often some of my highest of the year, and of course, I am doing my end-of-year roundup and planning for 2023. Maybe it’s the creative energy of looking back at what I’ve done and the excitement of what’s to come? Maybe it’s the traditions: ordering and sending holiday cards, decorating, the holiday cartoons (yes, I am an unapologetic devotée of the Grinch and Rudolph.) I long ago jettisoned anything holiday related that stressed me out and embraced the rest with open arms, so this month is a lot of fun.
There is something magical about end-of-year dreaming. Allowing fallow moments to stare into the fire, imagining what I’d like to be thinking about this time next year. It is the blessing and the curse of being a novelist; we are forever living in the future, considering how every word will land. There are, of course, the annual recriminations: I didn’t read enough books, I didn’t write enough words, I should have... if only I’d... but as I get older, those are fewer. I’ve spent the past decade realigning my work/life balance to make sure I have space and margin to do what I love most—writing—and the rest is gravy.
And wow, did I do a lot of writing this year. The word count isn’t off the charts like some years, but I also realigned what constituted success—and that is finishing. I finished a LOT this year. Nine separate projects. Nine. And as of this writing, only two are published (a third is coming Dec 16 from the Joss pen name). I finished two novels that I started in 2021, finished two co-written novels, and finished five short stories. (That’s why the word count is lower than normal, the shorts run 10-20k). Still. Nine projects in a single year. I filled the pipeline, which was my goal for 2022. No appearances. No conferences. Outside of A Word on Words, it was just me and my laptop, banging it out.
But I did do one interview this year that was a bellwether for me. I’ve worn you out with my references to Cal Newport, his excellent work/ life management systems, and how much I love his podcast. It’s the only one I schedule time to listen to—it is a weekly priority for me. So I was thrilled to pieces when Cal invited me to be on the show to discuss the specifics of being an author and having a successful career. You can listen here, or watch here. I hope any of you who want to be writers will get a lot out of it, and those of you who are interested in how I do what I do will enjoy the insights, too.
So with that, I wish you good planning for 2023, and the most blessed holiday season. When I see you next, we’ll be in the crazy run-up to the release of IT’S ONE OF US, and of course, my annual review will be posted the first week of January, as always. Team JT is taking off the holidays this year, we are closed from December 16-January 3, which I hope means I will come back to you at least 25k richer on the new novel I’m writing. That’s always my primary goal, moving the goalpost to accommodate the art of completion.