Wednesday, January 4, 2023

IWSG: The Word of the Year is "Finish"





Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. This month's co-hosts are: Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!


January 4 question - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year?
__________________________________________

I love the idea of having a focus word each year, something to come back to and remind you of what you want to accomplish, and what's truly important. 

image source

I didn't plan that way for 2022. 

After 2020 and 2021 (which just felt like 2020 kept going, rather than its own separate year), I didn't start 2022 with that kind of energy. 

I felt more kind of wary, like it was better to peek at 2022 from behind a door and poke at it gently with a stick to see if was going to attack me or not. If I had a phrase for 2022, it was "proceed with caution." 

2022 didn't attack me, at least not personally. There was plenty about it to scare and upset me, but it didn't get personal at least. Thank G-d for that. 

In writing life, I finished 2022 with a good push of momentum on the fifth and final Menopausal Superhero novel after nearly two years of fits and starts and struggles. 

So I'm headed into 2023 with a little more of my usual optimism and "get stuff done" attitude. 

So 2023's word is going to be "Finish." I've got a lot of in-progress work. Too many things simmering on back burners for too long. I'm going to try not to start anything new, but to finish some of the things I've already begun. 

So I'll start by finishing that series closer, then I'm hoping to pick up and finish several other projects that have been simmering--my Gothic romance, my collection of weird short stories. (This applies to some household things, too). 

Wish me luck! 

12 comments:

  1. You're not the only person who picked finish as their word. Good luck finishing your series and other projects in 2023.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. And, yes, I'm sure a lot of us are getting tired of all these loose ends.

      Delete
  2. Good luck with finishing everything you want. I'm a little sus of 2023 after the end of 2022.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm definitely giving 2023 the side eye. She'll need to prove herself.

      Delete
  3. It sounds like the worse is over and a new beginning is just what you need. One door closes...

    And the new adventure begins. hehehe

    Anna from elements of emaginette

    ReplyDelete
  4. 2022 was a "proceed with caution" year for me.

    I am celebrating the momentum you got for the final Menopausal Superhero novel. Wishing you much luck in finishing your projects.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I totally approached 2022 the same way. In retrospect, my word for 2022 would have been "survive." I love the idea "Finish" for your 2023 theme! Good luck on achieving those goals. As an aside, I've got your first menopausal superhero book on my TBR this year. I picked it up at a Con a few years ago and haven't had the time to read since. One of my goals is to get through part of my TBR backlog this year though!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Best of luck with your 2023 theme! I would really love to finish some projects, too. Maybe one day...

    And congrats on finishing your Menopausal Superhero novel!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes finish is a great word. Time to finish what you started and begin to reap the benefits!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know what you mean about the last couple of years. Hasn't been fun. Finish could be my word, too. Finish the darn WIPs. Best wishes for 2023.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Finish that series!
    The past three years have been a painful blur. Time to put a fork in some of it and call it done.

    ReplyDelete