What a Year!

I promise, you would. This year, I just didn't have the bandwidth to do cards, so everyone is getting a blog post instead. Read on if you want to learn about what's been going on this year for me, what I have planned in 2023, and what is going on with the projects that have been sidelined in 2022.

2022 was a bit rough for me; the rough patch actually started way before 2022, but I mark the beginning of the skid that took up most of my time and energy as November 2021. It was back then that things came to a head and Doc decided to postpone boards. 

Postponing boards was a hard decision, but the best choice. Continuing to approach things the way we were wasn't working. Last Christmas marks the first time Doc managed to get a locums in to cover a holiday weekend. That led to locums to take off a week in January for a much needed break and time to just breathe.

We unstuck ourselves.

By the time we returned to south Arkansas in January, we knew something had to change. You can read about that in my recent Physician Family article "Putting out the Inferno to Rekindle the Fire."  Since making the hard choices, we've moved into a rental (with the house still on the market), D took and passed her boards, and we've spent the last four months figuring out what we want the next chapter to look like.

I am still freelancing. I'm proud of the work we've been doing at Strategies this year. The magazine has grown and has a clear identity now, and the last issue of the year focusing on Survivor Stories allowed me to not only share Garrett and Cathy's story, but to reflect on one of the main reasons we have been making the decisions we have this year--family (or as I often refer to non-biological loved ones "framily.") But, just as the moment called for changes in our living arrangements to maximize family/framily efforts, it also called for me to think about what I want from my freelance work.

When I first left teaching, I considered continuing education in editing. "Do more editing" was on my 2022 business plan. Freelancing in the world of Fiverr and UpWork is hard, y'all. I almost got scammed big time (listen when alarm bells go off when looking for remote work!), and there are a lot of people out there who hang a virtual shingle up as editors who have no training or experience in the field.

And, people want me to work for free (or practically free). I know outsourcing to freelancers and companies in other countries is cheaper, but we really need to start treating our creative service workers better.

With limited growth in my freelance work this year, I made the commitment to develop and refine my skills as an editor by enrolling in The Graham School at the University of Chicago.  I'm doing the Developmental Editing specialization track, so if you're thinking about big projects (non-fiction/fiction) in the next year or two, keep me on your radar.

The decision to uproot took up most of our mental and emotional energy in 2022. Looking back, it's easy to see how and why that happened, as this time last year was a breaking point for both of us. Now that the decisions have been made and we've taken care of things like insurance, I am able to return to my unfinished projects and start to set some goals.

• Signs & Wonders and  Long Weekend both have been sidelined in 2022; my hope is to get both of those finished during 2023 and out into the world. 
• The Octave Thanet Project will be revived and I'll start making regular updates on that blog. One of my goals this year is to get The Dalrymple Mystery out as an eBook and paperback with an introductory essay. Likely, I'll start weekly updates on that process, which I started early in 2022 and then lost progress on after I cleaned off my hard drive a bit too vigorously.
• This blog will be updated more often, as well. I'm working on a clear schedule for posts on #selfpublishing #editing and #freelance as well as other topics.
• Plan more trips! I had a lovely time with my sisters in Hawaii on a postponed trip Renee planned early in the days of COVID. Sadly, our sister Debbie wound up in a horrible wreck and is now spending the holidays in respite care. Doc and I also spent a week in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festivities. 2022 was the ten year anniversary of my dad's passing, so it was extra special to be immersed in a celebratory cocoon of remembrance. We keep falling more in love with Mexico every time we visit. Because we're both in freelance mode right now, we're dreaming up all kinds of potential excursions for this year.

I wish you all a restful last week of 2022!