I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a few discussions lately about whether or not this year (2020…can you believe it?) is the beginning of a new decade.  And while it is technically not a new decade (because we didn’t start with year zero), I get that a new number in front really makes it feel like things have changed.

Things changed for me and my family a lot last year.  My husband got a new job in a new state.  He moved the first weekend of March, and the kids and I didn’t follow until the end of June.  I left a job that I loved at our local library to support my husband’s career change, but then, in a story I will never tire of telling, I found a new job in our new home that was the type of position I had hoped for since starting graduate school in 2006.  So I am back in the museum field and loving every minute of it.  Our kids started at a new school, and one of them went to school for the first time.  We have yet to make a commitment to a new church, but we are still earnestly seeking.

With all that change, 2020 definitely feels new.  And I have one really big goal for this year.  After finishing the first draft of my second novel in November, I plan to have it edited and ready so I can begin seeking an agent by the first of next year.  Of course, I’d love to say my goal is to secure an agent this year, but regardless of how many queries I send, actually landing one is simply out of my control.

The truth is, I am edging close to 40.  I know that’s not “old” by any stretch (heck, it’s barely middle-aged anymore!), but it’s not a milestone I want to hit without a publication under my belt.  I’ve spent almost thirty years writing, and while it has paid off in my learning my voice and getting LOTS of practice, it’s time to move on to the next phase.  I know now what it takes to make myself a writer.  I know the discipline and the lifestyle and what’s required of me.  I may not always be great at it, but I know HOW.  And I owe it to myself to make it happen.  Finally.

I have a really good feeling about this book.  I can’t explain why.  And I still have a significant amount of work to do.  I sent out two more research requests this week, and I’m only just nearing the halfway point of my first read-through of my not-terrible-but-not-great first draft.

But 2020 will be MY YEAR.  It’s the year I do everything in my power to make my last dream come true.