It's The End of The Year As We Know It, And I Feel .... Meh.

Everyone is doing their end of the year retrospectives, and it feels obligatory to do that. Although I’m sure we are over this tiresome year, I am particularly over the notion that the clock moving forward on midnight is going to be some sort of immediate change to our circumstances.

What I will try to do is reflect on some of the ways I’ve started to think about writing and my writing over all just because, selfishly, this is my blog and I will write whatever I want to write about.

Coincidentally, after all is said and done, that is the attitude I have come out with.

I’ve grown substantially more secure in myself as a writer. It helps that I am not dependent on my writing to earn a living, so I got to be a person that just flat out doesn’t care. It’s wonderfully liberating, writing what you want. Granted, I still get nervous when I submit pieces, especially to places I really want. It’s just that my attitude is less, “well I hope people like this” and more “I like this. Fuck ‘em.”

And because I have a better idea of the kind of writing I want to produce, and again, not financially dependent on it, I’m much more willing to take risks and do the stuff I want to do. At the end of the day, the first person I’m writing for is me. Anyone else coming along for the ride is gravy.

Don’t get it confused, I still want to make a living as a writer, but I more want to do it on my terms. There are things I don’t care to or want to compromise on and I don’t feel beholden on anyone or anything to compromise.

So even though I was less prolific this year than years past, this was a better personal year because I afforded the time and pleasure to right the things I want to write, and I’m learning to pair down in places.

I got rid of my patreon for one, because the pressure to produce was impeding me from enjoying it and I didn’t need the money. I also quit one of my side writing gigs, because I wanted to spend more time watching TV. But I also have started to write/am writing some of my more personally interesting work.

On that note, I want to share some of my pride and joy pieces from this year:

Zen and The Art of Pool Maintenance may be one of my favorite personal essays I wrote and you shouldn’t be sleeping on it.

Published my first novel, Mask of the Nobleman, which is a self-indulgent, gothic-fantasy-romance. People seem to like it so you might too.

Had a short piece, The Devil Sat In the Last Pew, published in FrightGirlSummer for Fright Girl Winter. It’s a fun short one and free to read.

Also had a short story, “Frijoles” published in Latinx Screams. It’s personal and haunting by design.

I don’t know if that’s all that’s left to say, but I kind of want to go take a nap so I am cutting it short. (Told you my “give a crap” was broken).

Hope you have a safe and happy New Year.

See you on the flip side amigxs.

-La Queta