Oh 2019. It seems like I hardly got to know you. And yet there you are, quickly coming to an end, like a long distance runner somehow putting on an extra burst of pace as they draw near to the finish line. How does it always happen? A new year begins, and just as I’m settling down and starting to get a sense of what it’s all about, it’s suddenly over.

The approaching end of the year can mean only one thing on this website. My end of year review. I know it’s predictable. I know it’s verging on cliche. But what can I say – I’m a creature of habit. See here we go with my regular end of year progress report.

Seems like there’s a lot that could be said about 2019, and much of it not so good. I don’t really want to get into the political situation, not just here but in multiple places around the world. And as I sit in my comfortable house in the comfortable suburbs of comfortable Melbourne, I can still detect the smell of ash and soot as it wafts over the city, reminding me that much of Australia is currently on fire. Yes, there is definitely a lot to be said, but most of it is already being said, strongly and repeatedly, so I’ll not add any more noise at this stage.

What else can I say as the year winds down? I could mention that I still have a job going into next year, and that’s not something I regard as a trivial thing. And my health seems to be holding up. So, at least for now, I’m reasonably whole and happy, and given that was a big part of my 2019 goals, I feel okay about that.

So what about writing? If you’ll recall, I only set myself a single writing goal – to make some further progress on my great big multi-genre novel (the comedy/fantasy/romance/adventure/satire). For a while it looked like I wasn’t going to make good on that one. Only in the last few weeks did I manage to find some time to look into this. Nothing substantive. I didn’t actually make a start on a second draft. But I did take the time to reread the first draft, and to start organising my notes in preparation for that rewrite. Getting this story into shape is going to be a big task, so I want to make sure I’m as prepared as possible before jumping in.

While I didn’t get as far with the novel as originally planned, I did manage to explore a few productive side roads (as I intimated in a few previous posts):

– I completed drafts for the first and second installments for what I’m hoping will turn into a series of junior novel type stories.

– I also spent a bit of time preparing picture book manuscripts. I ended up writing a bunch of these, trying my hand at stories that are shorter than those I usually attempt. I also had a go at some rhyming narratives and was quite pleased with the results.

I’m not sure what will come of any of these, but will keep you all posted.

So that’s been my year. Hope 2019 was a happy and productive year for all. Enjoy the holidays – whichever ones you celebrate. I’ll be back for sure next year.