No one could have predicted the dumpster fire that is 2020. It's ironic thinking back to the discussion going into the new year that it would be a year of perspective, of clearer vision, and a way of seeing life differently. Certainly, this year has been a challenge for all, and I think in many ways we all have a new perspective on life; gratitude for family gatherings, humble thanks for meeting friends for coffee, and joy in being able to hug another human being. They say hindsight is 2020 and that couldn’t be more accurate as we stand on the precipice of another new year.
As I’m sitting down to write my goals for 2021 I realized how silent I’ve been on this blog. Last December when I planned out my writing goals, I had decided to shift my time from blog posts and social media to more purposeful manuscript writing. After a few years of multiple rejections and polite “nos” from publishing houses and agents, I licked my wounds and lovingly put my steampunk manuscripts aside. And then pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began diving into a new work that has helped me remember why I love writing.
As a kid, I read lots of historical fiction. I took advanced history classes in high school and have an affinity for genealogy. There’s something to be learned from the stories of those who have lived lifetimes before us. In returning to my roots of reading, I’ve begun a new adventure in writing. The working title for my manuscript is “The Two Harriets” and is centered around the lives of Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe. These two women never met, but through their actions and words, they changed the face of a nation. To my surprise, very little in historical fiction has been written about either woman. I have researched, and read, and breathed in the amazing lives of these women and can’t wait to share their story with you.
I appreciate your grace as I navigate the writer’s life. Working full time and having the mental space to write during a pandemic year has been interesting, to say the least. But as we’ve learned this year, we’re stronger than we think and braver than we know. I’m grateful for you, dear reader, and sending the best hopes and wishes into the new year for you and your loved ones.