First I hope those reading this post are ending 2020 in good health. I guess for most of you this has been a most unusual year to say the least. This is what one writer has learnt:
1. I’ve discovered parts of the village I live in I didn’t know existed and I moved here thirty years ago.
2. Making sourdough bread is an artform. Still, even if it doesn’t look great it tastes good.
3. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was a good way to pass some of lockdown (If you’re into gaming and haven’t tried it, it’s well worth a go ).
4. Sometimes I try to plan my books and then the characters have other ideas??
5. Home haircuts produce interesting results.
6. You can draw up a list of movies you’d like to watch, but it doesn’t mean you’ll watch them.
7. “Expert” opinion is often just that, opinion.
8. How much I took for granted “little freedoms” such as: Not having to plan a trip to the pub, just going. Meeting up with friends. Walking down a crowded street. A café. Holidays. Etc. etc. etc.
9. Zoom – who knew?
10. Amazon ads will sell you more books, but can cost you about as much as you make. As long as I don’t lose money, right?
11. Those not responsible for doing something always seem to know exactly how it should be done?
12. The people running the paid courses on how to sell more books are the ones making the money.
13. There’s a lot of free advice out there, sometimes too much.
14. I hate those teaser ads, 5 minutes of telling you how such and such an author made a fortune selling their books. Then you can have the secret for £x00/$x00. If you made that much, why are charging me a small fortune for the secret?? I refer you back to point 12.
15. Ranting at the TV can be a hobby.
16 The Covid vaccine research effort shows what can be achieved if the world puts its collective will behind something. Can we have more of that please? Perhaps concerning climate change and reducing plastics to name but two.
17. There are even more teaser adds, telling you they have the secret to hitting your golf ball straighter and longer, for a price.
18. There are a lot of book selling / golf ball hitting secrets out there. Are they all really secrets? Do any of them work, if so which ones?
19. Golf is sport invented by a sadist.
20. Ranting at technology can be a hobby.
21. Writing has been my escape into a Covid free, if in my case somewhat weird, world.
22. At some point I’ve put my mojo down and I’m struggling to find it again. I’ll start looking in earnest in the new year.
22. A hindsightascope gives you 20/20 vision.
23. I’m still a hopeful guitar player i.e. hoping to become competent.
24. I’m still a hopeful golfer i.e. hoping to…. no forget it, some things are too big a stretch.
25. Cherish bad reviews. One gave my 10,000 word novelette, free (yes “free”) prequel to my science fiction book “Bleak” a one star rating because “it was too short and I don’t like science fiction.” At least it made me laugh.
26. Meditation does help.
27. There are still PS4 games where you can just (accidentally) walk straight off a cliff, why?
28. To quote the old cliché, expect the unexpected (although is that actually possible? Because if it is really unexpected then you can’t expect it can you?)
29. Free advice often isn’t.
30. A smile and a laugh genuinely does help.
Finally (bonus learning):
The human race has great fortitude and we can get through this.
Wishing everyone a happy, and better, 2021
Ian Martyn