Inspired by Nicki Chapelway, I decided to do a 2021 wrap-up and actually make some goals for 2022. Like many of us after 2020, I hadn’t really made any goals for 2021. This was actually not because of the virus, but because of my life’s circumstances. At the time, I was finishing my teacher’s credential and my husband was working two jobs. To say my life was busy is an understatement. The summer slowed the mad dash when my husband left one of his jobs and started the process for going back to school. As I write this, he has half a year left before he can become a certified technician. For those reasons, I didn’t really make writing goals for 2021.
Yet, I also find myself very grateful for what God did accomplish through me in 2021. He helped me in many ways.
1. I’m thankful that I posted fifty times on Instagram and maintained 1,000 followers.
I am so grateful for how God has blessed me on Instagram. I don’t really deserve the followers I have (some of them are from follow trains), but he has shown that he can bless me despite my flaws. I have majorly backed away from Instagram because I don’t want to post there all the time, but I enjoy the connections I have made there. Some of my best author friends and readers have been through Instagram, so I will stick around. I may not post as often, but it is still something I enjoy doing to connect with others.
2. I’m thankful I read twenty books and several Webtoons.
I will admit that I haven’t read that many books compared to previous years, but that is mainly due to busyness and exhaustion. However, the books I have read I really enjoyed. I discovered several new authors (AJ Skelly and Carrie Cotten), reread some favorite authors (Tara Grayce, Lauren H. Salisbury, C.M. Banschbach, V. Romas Burton, JM Stengl), and celebrated the release of my best friend’s book, Starganauts. I also enjoyed the webtoon, A Good Day to be a Dog, Where Tangents Meet, Her Bucket List, and several others still in progress. I’ve most enjoyed supporting jpluvi‘s Webtoon.
3. I’m thankful to win another prize at the Kern County Fair.
In 2019, I won first place and best in show for my short story, “Boundaries.” In 2020, the Fair was cancelled because of the virus, so I couldn’t compete. In 2021, the Fair was reopened, so I submitted a short story called “Take Aim.” This one won second place, but I was still proud. Both prizes have shown me that I am a writer and I can write well.
4. I’m thankful to be accepted into the Where Giants Fall anthology.
I’ve always wanted to be part of an anthology, so when I saw openings for this one, I eagerly submitted a short story that I had written many times. This short story was one that had been rejected by a creative writing class and other anthologies. I had edited and rewritten it after suggestions from several writing critique groups, but I was still uncertain it would be accepted. I’m very grateful that it was and look forward to seeing it in print in March 2022.
5. I’m thankful to have a guest blog post at Beneath the Tangles.
Another one of my writing goals (unwritten, but desired) was to publish a guest post on a blog. I had an idea for this post over the summer and after pitching it to the blog and realizing what the blog wanted, I eagerly wrote it. I felt like the Holy Spirit really moved through me as I wrote this post. It really felt like a work of art, and I was so grateful when the editors at Beneath the Tangles accepted it.
6. I’m thankful to find fellow Otaku and embrace my own form of nerdiness.
For a long time, I’ve been ashamed of being an Otaku. I mean, what adult still watches “cartoons?” But I recently found a way to embrace it because of an Otaku community on Facebook. I don’t post there that often, but it is comforting to see other adults sharing what they love about anime and manga. I think Beneath the Tangles also helped me in that way, too. My husband also is watching anime with me now, so I think I can embrace it more 😉 I finished several anime series last year (Haikyuu!, Fruits Basket, FairyTail, Psychic Princess, and Tonikawa) and I’m currently watching My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer.
7. I’m thankful to have finished Etania’s Calling.
To say that Etania’s Calling was a bear to write, rewrite, and edit would be an understatement. This book was one of the hardest I’ve written for numerous reasons. One of which is because of my lack of time. The other is because there were many threads and I had difficultly weaving them together. It wasn’t until I let God take more control of my writing that I was able to finish a more cohesive rewrite. Even then, my editor had to work out some of the kinks. My husband even got on board this time to help me rewrite battle scenes! It was intense. Anyway, I plan on sending out ARC copies the first week of January and doing one last proofread before hitting publish in February.
8. I’m thankful to have sold many books.
Not only did I make many sales during the Black Friday mega-sale, but I’ve also sold the paperback copies I put inside a local bookstore. If it wasn’t for C.E. Stone, I wouldn’t have approached that store. Now, I’m so grateful I did! Her courage has given me strength to look into other options for selling my books in local stores. It has also made me rethink about my book selling strategy in 2022.
9. I’m thankful to have one hundred email subscribers.
At the beginning of 2021, even though I didn’t make it public, I did have one secret goal. That goal was to gain one hundred email subscribers. I’m grateful today to say that 100 people have joined the Elrich E-Readers, and I think it will continue to grow in 2022. I’ve even had people from overseas answer my emails, so I’m extremely grateful to find readers of my books in other countries.
10. I’m thankful to be debt free and able to attend Bible Study Fellowship.
I condensed these into one because I like having round numbers (I know, it’s silly!), but I’m grateful for both. My husband worked very hard to get us out of over $80,000 in debt. 😲 We use Dave Ramsey‘s methods for getting out of debt and building wealth. I highly recommend reading his books or even listening to his show for free.
I’m also grateful to be able to attend Bible Study Fellowship again. If you really want to dig deep into God’s Word and study with a wonderful group of people, I highly recommend joining a local chapter. They are interdenominational and you don’t have to pay to attend. For these reasons, I joined back in 2017 and I haven’t looked back.
So what do I have planned for 2022? I’m not sure, but I’m trusting God to lead me in writing and life.