Hindsight 2021

That’s right, we’re making this an annual thing!

If you guys remember, last year, I made a post called “Hindsight 2020,” where I went over what happened to me that year on month by month basis. Now that 2021 is coming to a close, I figured it was time to do another one of these to look back at how far I have come.

So another year has passed us by, I swear it was May yesterday, but here we are again, sitting at the end of the year and looking back at what we accomplished. In January, I set myself a goal that by December 31st, 2021, I would be done with the rough draft of my first full book, and I am happy to say that I have succeeded. In fact, I have been editing it for the last few weeks after letting it sit for a month. I have been working on this book on and off again for years now, and the fact that it’s in such a nearly complete state (even though I still have tons of work to do on it) is honestly mind-blowing to me. Coming off of this success, I’m also setting myself a new goal, to have some version of a final draft by the end of 2022. That means that I finish the editing process, send it to beta readers, and put it into a properly formatted manuscript by December 31st, 2022. It’s a big goal, but then again, so was having a complete final draft. And I believe that I can do it.

Moving away from the book. The website has also been doing really well. After falling off the face of the earth for a good few months last year and early this year, I launched the weekly summer schedule (that later turned into the bi-weekly school schedule), and it really worked! Guardians Book 1 was finished, and Book 2 began, and I published a ton of short stories, including the one that blew my expectations for it out of the water, “Corporate Takeover,” which led to an influx of followers with the term “crypto” in their names (hey crypto bros, I’m glad you’re here, even if you scare me a bit). I always appreciate seeing the notifications of people liking my work and following my site. It makes my little author heart flutter to see people actually reading and (hopefully) enjoying the stories I tell. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my writing career and for this website.

Oh! We also switched from Williamfallwritings.wordpress.com to Willfallwritings.com and even picked up a custom email or two, which is sick and made me feel very professional. We also got a Ko-Fi Account, which exists and can be reached by the link on the support page, but it’s kinda dead right now (gotta get that going again). In the future, I want to get a youtube account running where I will hopefully post some cool audio-visual projects, but I also know I have to pace myself. William Fall Writings is a one-man operation, and I have to remember to not push myself to do more than I can handle on my own.

Moving on to my personal life outside of writing, it has been a typical roller coaster of emotions. COVID-19 canceled a big trip I had planned, and I slipped on some ice and broke my elbow at my college. Besides those two things, my spring semester was awesome. I had a fantastic summer, found a job at a local bookstore and got to talk to local authors and assist them with getting their work into our store and setting up events where they could do signings or talk about their books, which really encouraged me as I was in the depths of finishing my own rough draft. I also switched my major to Writing and History instead of the Physics that I had been thinking of taking before, and I’m much happier now. I’ve gained, and lost friends, attended both physical therapy and counseling, and worked on myself as a person. I still have a long way to go if I want to achieve what I feel God wants me to be, but I also know that I have the strength and endurance to get the job done.

I’ve seen a lot of people look into next year with apprehension, afraid of what will be coming in the 12 months we have ahead of us. However, I can tell you for the fact that we know nothing for a fact. We control what we can control and make the best out of every situation we have given to us. Certainly, if I had the reigns, things would be different, but getting caught up on what should have happened will keep me from taking advantage of what did happen. I truly believe that the world will get better. We just have to keep moving forwards.

Alright, I’m getting sappy and philosophical again. It’s time for me to sign off and celebrate The New Year with the Fall family. I wish you all a Happy New Year and a great 2022. I hope that it goes well for you. See you in two weeks for the next short story.

With Love,

William J Fall