What a year it will be!

Oh what a year I hope it will be. I hope to learn and I hope to write. The challenge prompts I have attempted over the last year on Vocal have been valuable practice and have allowed me to better my own story concepts. I have especially enjoyed the fantasy and horror themed challenges with both being the genres I hope to write the most this year.

There are many areas I would love to improve on this year. I have often found my ability to show vs. tell to be lacking at times and struggle to convey the descriptions in my head through my writing. I don't want to tell you about the rolling plains or azure halls of the sea goddess; I want to you be there and experience it just as my characters do. I don't want to tell you what my characters feel; I want you to experience those emotions and thoughts with them.

Practice is always key and I will need to be consistent with my writing. My personal goal is to set aside at least an hour, four days a week. Even if I don't have any new ideas or find myself hopelessly stuck behind a monolithic writer's block, I need to write. I can accomplish this through prompts and writing exercises.

Along with practice is learning from the best. I want to finish more books this year and see how the greats get it done. Instead of browsing the web or gaming my free-time away, I will try to read at least 30 minutes every day. Reading often helps me conceptualize my own story ideas as my experience as a reader can inform me of what someone might think, see, or feel when they read my own prose.

I hope to find other writers to connect with, both new and experienced, to hopefully learn and share with. Feedback is vital to my growth as a writer and I deeply hope to give and receive it this year with my peers. There are plenty of friendly folks on this website and I hope to get to know them.

My primary goal by the end of the year is to finish a story. I have a few universes in my head with plenty of stories between them. Nothing would feel more accomplishing regarding my writing than to complete and edit a full work of my own. The challenges on here have helped me realize how achievable my goal truly is. The word goals no longer seem so daunting. I've used my own characters in the short stories and seeing them alive on the page is a truly magical experience.

These characters have spent so long living in my head and their stories constantly developing each day. I hope to share at least some of them with everyone here on Vocal. It is my dream to entertain others with my stories. I've done it for several years in a small intimate setting as a dungeon master for my close friends and their encouragement has made me want to share the joy I get from writing with so many others.

2024 is here and what a year I hope it will be! I hope all of here on Vocal enjoy a year of growth, progress, and comradery as we work to refine our craft and write our hearts out.