2023 In Retrospect
... a review of 2023, and a look forward into 2024
Time flies when you’re having fun!
Greetings Book Dragons, and welcome to a slightly early post. I expect January 2024 to be very busy between work and writing projects, so it seemed like a good time to get ahead of the rush!
2023 is about to move into the past, and we’re heading into 2024 quicker than I believed possible. So, it’s time to reflect on 2023 and peek into what’s coming up in 2024 (if everything goes according to plan).
TLDR!
Lots of stuff happened in 2023:
I messed around with AI a lot!
A lot of items were added to my online store.
I traveled to England to help my parents celebrate their 50th anniversary.
My passion for writing is back with a vengeance!
And I’ve just opened this newsletter's chat feature so you can join me and your fellow book-lovers.
2024 is going to be an exciting year:
I plan to release an anthology titled “Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels.”
Work will start on my first draft of “Shadows Over Seattle: Book 1 - Of Wolves & Men.”
And hopefully much, much more…
2023 in retrospect
It’s been a year of distractions, vacations, and the snowiest winters I can remember in 18 years of living in Alaska.
Here are the significant events of the year.
Experiments in AI
I launched my online store and dived head-first into the world of AI art and text generation. I’ve spent endless hours creating and editing prompts on MidJourney to create designs I use on store items. But I’ve also used it to help me develop ideas for book cover layouts, icons, and promotional materials, and I've just played with it. Yes, some images it created have been used as is, but many more have been heavily modified after being generated.
A trip to England
In August, my wife and I returned to England for the first time in 13 years to surprise my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. Seeing their faces when we knocked on their door was amazing, especially given how many family members were in on the surprise.
Of course, the highlight of the week was being able to help them celebrate their anniversary in a way I know they’ll remember for years. But, I also got to meet my nieces and nephews, who had all been born since I left England in 2005, and spend time with Norwegian relatives my wife found through her family tree. So, all in all, yes, it was an expensive trip, but it was well worth every cent.
My return to writing
Another bonus of the vacation was that it helped re-energize my desire to write, and I started working hard on revisiting my storyline for “Of Wolves & Men.” This last month, I worked hard on the outline and went from zero pages to eleven. Not only that, but I now have a plot that makes sense, with several layers and subplots, and I’m excited to start writing again.
And yes, I used AI to help with this process too. It’s helped me evaluate plot threads, test subplot ideas, determine where things belong in the story, and play around with changes.
Will AI have a part to play in actually taking the story from outline to a completed first draft? Highly unlikely. I like what AI can do to help generate ideas and quickly review and summarize pages of ideas. But, it doesn’t have the passion for the characters or story that I do.
Launching the “Book Dragons” chat
This post was written immediately after I posted the first message in my new chat group. It’s currently open to everyone who follows these posts, and I would love for you all to try it out.
I don't care if you're a reader, writer, reviewer, or collector. You're in the right place as long as you love books (especially urban fantasy). I'd love for us all to get to know each other and share our passion for the written word.
My takeaway for 2023
Nothing can replace people where passion and love for a project are concerned!
Which brings us to 2024…
Looking forward to 2024
2024 is already bright, and I have some projects I want to complete ASAP!
“Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels” anthology
So far, I’ve written five short stories set in the world of “Shadows Over Seattle,” three of which are available on Amazon and other online bookstores. Well, in 2024, I plan to take all of those stories and compile them into a single collection. It’ll save you money on buying each story, and you’ll get to read at least two stories that aren’t available individually.
A unified cover design
This is a project I’m working on at the moment, and I hope to see it come to life very soon. I’m designing a cover format that will follow every novel, short story, or anthology in the “Shadows Over Seattle” collection.
Yes, it will mean new covers for some existing stories, but the unified look is worth the extra effort.
“Shadows Over Seattle: Book One - Of Wolves & Men”
This project has me most excited because I’ve made several attempts at completing a coherent first draft and failed.
But this year, I have a complete outline before I even start writing, which will help me reach what I hope will be a satisfying finish.
Is it iron-clad, rigid, and unyielding? Hell no! Because I don’t work that way, and neither do my characters. But, it will allow me to take the surprises my characters will throw and look at what changes I need to make to accommodate them. Or if I need to take my characters aside and explain why their actions won’t work for the greater good of the story!
Where did 2023 take you? What are you excited about in 2024?
As always, I love hearing from you, so please feel free to comment on this post or even dive into the chat.
Let’s make 2024 a great year for books.
After all, why be a bookworm when you can be a Book Dragon???
December 2023 - Update
Days I’ve written something: 20
Days I’ve been unable to write anything: 4
Outline pages: 11 (and growing)
Draft pages: 0
Words written: 2,371 (outline), 0 (draft)
