Greetings and a happy new year to you! It’s a brand new year for writing and I hope you’re as excited as I am for what’s in store this year on my blog.
For my first essay blog post of 2024, I’m gonna talk about…surprise surprise…writing in the new year.
Yet what exactly do I want to write in this sixth year of my blog’s existence? What have I not yet written these past five years? I mean, surely I’ve covered a wide range already, right? Writing process. Writers I admire. Conquering writer’s block. Insights from writing courses and writing coaches. Book reviews.
What’s left?
More of the same?
Or stuff I’ve yet to write?
Honestly, I’m not sure…for now.
My “December Downtime” last month was supposed to be a time to rest the pen and keyboard, but at the same time to ideate.
While I do have some writing ideas I wish to go deeper into this year, my break these past four to five weeks has caused my writing gears to rust!
Still, write I must.
As I stand looking ahead to the vast expanse that is the next 51 weeks of this leap year, I ask myself, what’s not to write?! Global warming. Wars. Elections. AI. And that’s just the big-ticket items. I mean, the sky’s the limit no?
Writing has become such an integral part of my life since 2019 that to go any week without it feels like I’ve left something important behind.
Like discovering one has left a personal belonging behind in the last hotel, after boarding a coach to one’s next holiday destination.
That was exactly what happened recently!
My son had left his ear muffs in the hotel room we just checked out from, during one of the days we were vacationing last month.
He only realized it as we were boarding a coach bound for our next destination. Given that we were a good seven-minute drive away from the hotel, the panic was real! Plus, the coach was unwilling to wait while we figured out how to retrieve his ear muffs. Given my son’s auditory sensitivity to loud and unfamiliar sounds, we couldn’t imagine how our seven-hour coach journey would pan out should he need it. Kiddy meltdowns can be brutal, as any parent can testify. Even more, parents like me with a special needs child!
Mercifully all’s well that ends well, thanks to a very helpful hotel porter on a speedy scooter! But it was a close call, and it reminded me how we can so often take things for granted til we almost lose them!
Writing can feel like that for me. Especially after a month’s break! So it feels good to be back with it now and I am most grateful once again to be able to resume my writing routine.
So how and what will my writing be about in 2024?
There are two questions to address as I look to these 12 new months of my writing.
One is the “how” question. How will I write this year? Like before or not?
I’ve been mulling over this question for a while now and I think it’s time I seriously relook at my writing style and tone. While I don’t want to lose the writing voice I’ve cultivated these past five years (personal, reflective, declarative, raw, honest, and unflinching), I do think in this sixth year I would like to spread my writing “wings” a bit and see if I can dish out some more substantive pieces that will gain me new audiences. I don’t just want my writings to find a home here on my blog alone. I want to have more of my writings appear on other credible writing platforms.
No doubt a casual scroll of my blog’s About page will show I have done so before. Now, however, it’s time to go as Buzz Lightyear used to say, “To infinity and beyond“!
That means this year I must put in more effort to research, study, and hone my writing skills to another level, one that helps me to open doors to other publications, including paid ones. Be they news sites, magazines, other blogs, or whatnot, I need to put myself out there more. All for the sake of improving my craft and cementing my writing chops.
This brings me to the second question, “what”.
Arising from the “how” question earlier, the “what” question will best be answered once I identify what topics, platforms, and publications out there I wish to see my byline in.
Importantly for me, these should cover stuff I’m already writing about and familiar with. Also where I have an interest in. Importantly for them, what I contribute should be meaningful content that benefits their target audience.
2024 will be my busiest writing year yet!
All to say that yes I forsee this to be my bumper writing year! Nose to the grindstone. Feet to the tarmac. Eyes on the prize.
Let’s go!
Wish me well yah?
all the best and hope you blast off in 2024!
Thanks for dropping by and for your encouragement. I’ll do my best!
Thank goodness for speedy porters!
Godspeed in ’24, Kelvin, like to John Glenn in ’62.
Definitely wishing you all the best in your new writing endeavours, Kelvin ! And I’m looking forward to seeing your name and voice published very soon！