2022: My Complete Year

At the end of every year, I write a reflection post about where I’m at, not just in my writing life, but also in my personal life and how it all correlates. 

I’m calling 2022 My Complete Year because it coincides with how I called 2021 the Year of Unfinished Change. 

Last year, I got married. This year, we welcomed our baby girl. 

Last year, I lost my agent. This year, I got back in the trenches and connected with my new agent. 

So much of what happened last year fed into the success I had this year, they almost can’t be separated. But alas, I wanted to talk about 2022 and how I feel moving into 2023. 

If I go back to January, I started 2022 with one main goal: Connect with an agent. 

I had just finished finalizing my query package for my middle grade novel in verse, and I jumped right in. Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant, and I told myself I would love to be signed with a new agent before my baby was born. I knew it was a long shot, especially in this environment, but I signed with my agent, Marietta Zacker, in September the week before my baby was born. (Maybe I’ll write a blog post about that journey soon!) 

While querying, I also rewrote my historical fantasy and outlined four new ideas. I wrote 12,000 words across those projects. I also hit 80,000 words in my dark academia novel, and I’m currently 8,000 words in my next verse novel and 11,000 into a romcom.

We also adopted Valentine, our one-eyed pirate cat…and lost Boo Boo, our beautiful gentleman of a cat who lived 22 years. 

Life has been a whirlwind of joy, sorrow, celebration, family, and determination. 

In 2023, I hope my agent can find the perfect editor for my work, but I know that’s out of my control. All I can do is keep writing. First up, finish my first young adult verse novel. But until then, I’m giving thanks to 2022.

I’m very grateful for everything that happened this past year–from having my novels featured in simplyKC magazine to having my blog post featured on Jane Friedman’s website. I especially enjoyed teaching How to Write a Series at the Midwest Writers group, and I cannot wait to see what 2023 brings. A book deal? More hardships? Additional teaching opportunities? New friends? Loss? I have no clue. None of us do, really. 

I end 2022 knowing that I will be adjusting to being a mom who loves writing while working full time, but I believe in me. I have to. I want to.

I will make 2023 amazing. 

~SAT

Want to see what’s happened throughout my years of blogging?

• 2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
• 2020: The Strangest Writing Year (Hopefully?)
• 2019 reflective: 2020 Author Goals
• Setting 2018 Writing Goals
• 2017 Wasn’t My Writing Year
• 2016: Dear Writers, 2017 can be your year!