Merry Charismas, 2020’s almost over (finally)

Hello lovely people! I won’t lie, when I opted to take some time away from this blog o’ mine, I didn’t quite expect it to be such a big break. Yet, with this year, who’s to say what week of the day it is anymore. All the same, I am back! I have been whittling away at my latest reviews, which is beneficial especially for that my manuscripts have been especially not nice. To summarise, they will most certainly be receiving coal for Christmas this year. Or, should I say Charismas? Hehe.

Before we begin, I’m going to kickstart a new tradition, something I’ve long considered adding to each of my posts and see what stories are of interest to me at the time. For example, at this point in time…

What I’m reading: A Torch Against the Night (Sabaa Tahir)

What I’m watching: Virgin River (Netflix)

What I’m playing: Arise: a Simple Story (PlayStation 4)

So. The past few months. I don’t really remember things by months or weeks anymore, but rather peaking highlights. I reorganised my bookshelves so that they’re ordered by publisher (a big thank you to Annie Austen’s Shelf Respect for that curious idea). I finished one and a half manuscript drafts for the same series, then worked on another for that series for my uni semester — only to hit the writer’s blockade of my life. Genuinely, I have never been so stumped by a project in my life. Still, I finished that series’ world map, and in the past odd month, I’ve completed four other maps. Honestly, the cartography for my work has been the highlight. Trump lost the election, which makes me indescribably happy. The Mandalorian returned for its second season, and I’m loving it. Holy macaroli.

I’ve also read a baker’s dozen worth of books since August, which has been really lovely. I’ve also got— hold up, I need to brain for a second here. Yes — I have five different manuscripts that have all decided they deserve priority writing clearance, but not one of them is putting in the additional effort here. Part of me is contemplating writing the standalones, partly because they’re stories I love and partly to make space in my poor, defenceless brain. It’s a hard life for a writer. The only way to be one is to accept that your life will be coloured with madness. It’s perhaps one of the most rewarding mediums in existence, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

For example, I tried NaNoWriMo this past month. That, uh, that ended well.

Ooh! I shall say, all is not lost! On the 23rd of September, my first published piece, Vinyl and Fleece went live! Submitted to Poetry on the Move, an annual University of Canberra event, you can find it right here! I don’t really talk of it much, but I quite love poetry. I would like to one day publish a book entirely filled with poems of my own. Though, I think I’ll do that when I’m older and wiser. All the same, I got published!

Happy dance!

I won’t lie, I’ve had ups, and I’ve had downs. Unfortunately, this time of year seems to rather encourage all of my health issues to spiral. My mental health has suffered a lot, as has my physical health. Both have often proven steep hurdles for my life as a whole, my writing especially. As well, almost two weeks before my 24th this past October, the family lost our oldest pet, our dear Rhaegar. To say that was a hard hit would understate it immensely. It’s been two months since we lost him, and I miss him every day. I’ll attach one of my favourite pictures of him below, gazing as elegantly as ever out the window.

Rest on easy, Rhaeglobubbles.

Ultimately, though, what is there to say about this year? We all joked that we didn’t have 20/20 vision. Blessedly, we haven’t made the same jokes of 2021, so perhaps we’ll be spared. I like to think we as a species wouldn’t do anything to prolong this year any longer than it has to be, and as an eternal optimist (such is to choose one of the most challenging paths in life, given the louder intelligence of said species) I shall run with that. It’ll be a long time before I’m comfortable going out without a face mask or sitting in a movie theatre, but if there’s one thing I think we can all agree on, it’s that that one time we unveiled that obsidian sarcophagus and said it would be fine, that we definitely wouldn’t have some Imhotep-level shit?

As someone who can recite the entire 1999 film, to say that I know it moderately well, I shall politely disagree on the fineness of the matter. I think we’ll leave today’s post there. Be sure to drop by next Friday at 11:30am Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), where I’ll be uploading my review of the best book I read this year. To everyone that’s gotten this far, I hope you have a most wonderful and safe week.

— Charis.