2020 was a dumpster fire – Be kind

I got a little story for you. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I released a reader magnet. If you don’t know, that’s a free gift in exchange for an email address. The point is to grow your mailing list. I advertised on social media for weeks. I even had a special group of friends and acquaintances who were going to download the magnet. And, unlike other writers, this wasn’t a short story or an opening chapter, this was a full blown book!

So release day comes. I do the marketing on all my platforms, and . . . nobody downloaded the book.

At times like these I either want to quit writing, post nasty things on social media about how the world is stupid, or just crawl into my bed. I resisted all those urges and called a friend who is also an author and ranted. He listened patiently and consoled me. By the end, I was laughing at the absurdity of the whole endeavor. See I wasn’t really angry at the world. I was angry at myself for not being able to figure out how to grow my email list.

I could have stewed. But I just laughed.

This dumpster fire of a year is almost over, gentle reader. As we get closer to New Year’s Day, please remember to treat this year like a bad boyfriend and just walk away. Don’t feel bad about the work you didn’t do. Don’t feel bad about the skills you didn’t acquire. Unless you can gain some strategic advantage out of a personal post-mortem of 2020, then pay for his cup of coffee, get up and leave.

I got a new job this past January. It consumed my time so much I was too exhausted to write. But once April 15^th came around, the job was over. I had a bank full of money, loads of free time and a plan to write three books. I only completed one. And that is perfectly fine.

Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson says “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” 2020 punched all of us in the face. To extend the boxing metaphor, if you got up from the canvas and made the standing 8 count, you won. So what if your plans didn’t come through, or you took day drinking a little too far. You are still here. Your goals are still waiting for you. If you need to have a pity party, have one. Let yourself mourn for people you didn’t know, or for opportunities you didn’t take. Get it out of your system and start fresh in January.

That’s what I intend to do.

I will celebrate the victories I have had this horrible year, however small.

I will create closure for myself with this year.

I will be inspired by my fellow authors and not see them as competition.

I will help other writers in any way I can because helping them light their flame helps my flame burn brighter.

I will continue to learn about marketing.

I will create new plans, adjusting to the circumstances of the New Year.

We are almost there. See you on the other side.