Hard to believe we’re already one week into 2019! How’s everyone doing?
I’ve seen a variety of reports from other writers across social media so far. Some charged out the gate with their goals in hand, hit their stride immediately, and haven’t slowed down once! Others have had a little more of a rocky beginning, with unforeseen hurdles in the track like sickness, the distractions of family & life, or even loss bringing a stumbling block right at the beginning of the year.
New years are always such a time of resolve, resolutions, and change. In a way, it’s like a blank page at the start of a new story. The possibilities are endless, the ways unsearched, the hope eternnal. But we all know that no matter how well the story or the year goes, we’ll still encounter challenges along the way. At times, we’ll have to slow down and rethink a certain plot point, or tweak our outline, or grapple with a character not behaving how we predicted. In both life and writing, there will be those unexpected hurdles we must cross.
But in life and writing, too, it’s okay to have a bad start.
It’s okay to not have it all figured out.
It’s okay to not fall in love with the new year or the new story right out the gate.
So if you’re struggling with the feeling that your whole plan for 2019 is already derailing, I am here to encourage peace. This life, this writing process, is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. We have to pace ourselves, breathe right, and press on.
A bad start does not mean a bad story, or a bad year. It just might take you a little longer to hit your stride. And friend, that is okay.
Don’t look too closely at the race everyone else is running. Just run yours.
We are one week in. Let’s look ahead to the other 51, and let ourselves hope rather than despair.
I am so excited to run the 2019 marathon with all of you.
XOXOXO,
-Renee