There is a lot of talk about how people can’t wait for 2017 to arrive so 2016 will be gone. I’m not one of them. 2017 scares the shit outta me. With the new uncertain direction our new ‘Dear Leader’ has kinda sorta suggested he might take until he decides to change his mind and deny he ever said he was going to do something in the first place, there is a lot of anxiety in the air. And it’s not just that he doesn’t tell us clearly what he’ll do or that he constantly changes his mind. It’s how vile and nasty the mood has become.
When George W. Bush got elected, I didn’t feel particularly hopeful, but I also didn’t feel afraid of what he might do to me personally. I realize we can’t always think just of ourselves, and I try not to, but fear is personal me. Sixteen years ago I didn’t have the right to get married, I didn’t have the right to be on the same insurance as my husband, I didn’t get to file my taxes jointly. When “W” was elected, my husband, who works for the federal government could be discriminated against at work for being gay, now he can’t. There wasn’t nearly as much to lose because we barely had any rights or protections to be taken away.
It’s unclear if my angst has to do with losing those rights because they’re mine or if it comes from how this will affect our ability to raise our daughter. I suppose it’s some of both. Either way, I wish we could freeze time and never let 2017 happen. Hey, I’d even accept being perpetually in winter for that.
Time won’t stop, however, and 2017 will come. We’ll lose a great man and great president and be burdened with a terrible man who likely will be an even worse president. Our lives will change and we’ll be happy if we just tread water.
That doesn’t mean we give up and lay down. No. We move forward, stay vigilant, and stand ready to act when needed. In other words, we have to keep living our lives. Doing that requires we set goals, both big and small, and we work toward them.
I almost always say I’m not making New Year’s resolutions and then I sneakily do it by calling it something else. So that is what I’m going to do this year. I’m not going to make resolutions, just go in a new direction. Why break with tradition, right?
Since this is a blog dedicated to readers, I’ll lead off with my writing ‘direction.’ For those few fans of the Champion of the Gods series, 2017 will see it finished (the book won’t be out until 2018, but I’m going to finish writing it.) That will allow me to start something new. I’ve a lot of stories I’m considering, so hopefully one of them will win the Royal Rumble of ideas and emerge the winner.
Another new “direction” I plan to take is to move my writing into the larger world. Fantasy is a wide universe and I want to go swim in the big pond. The nice thing about this approach is that it covers all Fantasy – LGBTQ included. This is especially important to me now that I’m almost finished with Champion of the Gods. It will take some time and money to reach out to a wider audience, but what’s a new direction without a bit of effort.
Last, I want my direction to take me down the road where I finish a couple of stories. There are a few sitting on a memory stick that are almost done. Two are contemporary MM stories – yeah imagine that – and one is an urban fantasy. I’ve also talked to a fellow author who shall remain nameless about a possible collaboration. That would really be a new direction for me and I’d be stoked if that comes to pass.
So otherwise, I resolve to lose some weight, work out more, be more organized, goof off less. Yeah yeah, blah blah, all those things I promise every year, but fail to stick with for a full year.
How about you? Any new directions you’re planning for the new year?
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.
Since devouring The Lord of the Rings as a preteen, he has been a fan of all things fantastical. His imagination has helped him create works of high fantasy, paranormal thrills and touch of the futuristic. He also writes the occasional contemporary story.
He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his husband of twenty-one years. Together they are raising their pre-school age daughter and three dogs. Andrew tries to squeeze writing time in around his most important jobs, being husband and ‘Papa.’ Along with teaching how to kick a soccer ball or ride a scooter, he has become fluent in cartoon characters and children’s books. To find out more about Andrew, his writing and his family, follow him on his website or on Facebook.
You can also sign up for his monthly newsletter and get an a free copy of The Last Grand Master, Book 1 in the Champion of the Gods series.
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You make good points and I am trying not to dread what is to come, but it is hard. I try not to make big goals…I have a better shot at actually achieving some of the little ones…sometimes, lol. Good luck on the new direction for your stories, and I think that if enough of us continue to be the voice of reason and persistently reject the actions of those who want to drag us backwards, we will continue to move forward, albeit slower than we would have wanted.
I agree. The goal is for everyone to stand up and resist any effort to drag us backward. Speaking for myself, it will be hard, because so many of us have left the ‘warrior’ mode needed to secure our rights and moved into the ‘civilian’ role of enjoying them. There are going to be many who will turn a deaf ear to what is coming, believing all the doom and gloom is overblown. I hope they are right, but I’m not prepared to believe it until it happens.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
Keeping you guys in my thoughts – I really feel for you. On a lighter note – good luck with your swim in the big pond. I’d love to see your books reach a wider audience. And oooh… urban fantasy, keep me posted!
Thanks, Anne! Yes, I’m hopeful I don’t drown in the water, but I think I have the right plan moving forward. I’m not doing it alone, so it’s a bit less scary and it gives me a bit more motivation to keep at it. 😀
2017
I don’t even know where to start when I think about January 21st. I’m almost afraid to look into a crystal ball to see our world just a year from then.
I’m planning on helping my daughter through surgery and then looking outside my home into the community. I’ve learned of some locations whereI can volunteer. They serve disenfranchised youth. I hope that anything I do to assist in helping them prepare for adulthood and giving them skills to be thoughtful, caring people who embrace the differences in each of us.
I think that is a wonderful thing. In addition to helping these young people, you set (hopefully) a better example for other adults around you. It’s easy to ignore the suffering of ‘those others’ when they are nameless and faceless, but when you see them one-on-one, it’s hard to stick to the notion that they get what they deserve because if they did this or that they wouldn’t be in the spot they are. If we could get more people on the other side to see the faces and talk to the people, I think it would really help. But that will always be a work in progress I suppose.
Thanks for reading and for taking time to reply. I really appreciate it. 🙂