2020 Wasn’t That Bad; Or, Light Is Where You Find It.

To provide context for this article, I wrote this towards the end of 2020, I checked the files but because I’d done edits, originally, I couldn’t work out the exact date I wrote it. I scanned down the piece and found the words “As we reach the middle of November”, so somewhere around November 15th 2020.

I wanted to tell people that although the world was having a shitty time, some people were doing okay. So I give you the piece as I wrote it.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2020 Hasn’t Been THAT Bad; Or, Light Is Where You Find It

2020 is almost over. Thank god, and good riddance, most people might think. I’m here to say no. Stow that kind of thinking. 2020 has been a lot better than you might have guessed.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably some kind of creative type. You write, you read, you make art. Whatever you do, that creative outlet has helped you get through what most people are referring to as a car-wreck of a year. Again, no.

#

Things have been tough this year, don’t get me wrong. Sure, there’s a global pandemic and hundreds of thousands are already dead from it. That’s incredibly tough for everyone upright and breathing. The thing is, if we hang our heads and decide we’re all doomed, who’s going to save us? No-one, that’s who. Not with thinking like that.

Each of us has to take responsibility. Have a positive outlook, become part of your own solution. So what can you do? There’s the obvious stuff. Wear a face covering, wash your hands, maintain social distancing. Give a crap about everyone, not just yourself.

Personally, I’m in the at risk category. I’m almost 51, I have to look after my health.

I stay home as much as I can, but being constantly alone isn’t great for your mental health. So I’ve set myself a challenge. To submit one story every day for a year, to a paying market.

BAM! I’m now distracted. I’ve got something to look forward to every day. Where there was darkness, I’ve created my own light.

This is what I’m recommending to everyone. Light is where you find it! So the best thing is to start making your own.

#

As a writer myself, I thought the pandemic would hurt my sole income source. I’m pleased to say not only has that turned out to not be the case, my opportunities to make sales, get acceptances and see stories get published have been better than ever. People have been more focused, not being able to get out to their real jobs.

I personally start out each year by setting at least one New Years Resolution – that’s something I’ve done for the past 5 years, ideally something which is within the realms of possibility, but which takes a decent amount of effort to actually achieve. For me this year, I wanted to sell a reprint and make a pro-rated sale. Neither of these things are easy, but both were possible, and probable.

I know it might seem odd to many to break things down to hard statistics but sometimes like the old proverb says, the best way to eat an elephant is a bite at a time.

Many markets buy reprints. If you’ve published something before, selling it as a reprint is a good way to make more money. Yes, reprints don’t make as much as original sales, but they DO MAKE MONEY. Also, they can be published again, this time, perhaps reaching more eyes than the first time around. At least some time normally passes between a story being published and selling it as a reprint. During this time, hopefully, you’ve grown as a writer. Your creative skills, your ability as an editor, all these have hopefully improved.

I was lucky, I found a story which meshed well with the market, they liked it, they bought it. So I had ticked off one of my resolutions. Sell a reprint—DONE.

Then some time passed. Many stories were submitted. I had my crazy idea to work towards submitting out a story every day for a year. While I was doing that, another story got rejected. A few months passed, I already had a different piece at that market, when I got the strangest email I’ve ever received in my life.

“Changed my mind if “Stranding Room Only” is still available. Sent a contract, but will understand if it’s no longer available.”

It had already been rejected, in June. I’d moved on.
(Good advice when a story is rejected. Never mope. Move on, get more work out ASAP!)
Then suddenly, they wanted it. At 8 cents a word. Pro rates.

So I had to check.

Was it out in submission anywhere else? (No)

Did I still want to sell it? (Yes)

Did I want to sell it to them? (Hell to the yes!)

So I said yes, they could buy it. Make a pro rated sale. DONE.

And just like that, with a few months still left in the year, I had achieved both my New Year’s resolutions.

#

Nothing worth getting is ever easy. If it’s too easy, it’s probably not worth having. The most satisfying achievements take time and effort. Persistence pays off.

As we reach the middle of November, I am still pushing myself every day. I still get terrible imposter syndrome, but I battle that by looking at what I’ve done and telling myself I can do those things again, either just as well, or better, because I now have experience.

What I’m saying, friends, is to look up and forward. Make plans. If you’ve got things to look forward to, life can’t possibly be complete shit. It can be slightly shitty, that’s because life isn’t perfect. It’d be boring as fuck if it were. A modicum of chaos now and then keeps things interesting.

No matter how bad things might have seemed this year, it’s not been all bad.

We’ve had a few magazines close, but that is the way of things. Entropy exists, things come, other things go. People have still backed kick-starters and patreons for anthologies, and magazines. One publisher closed, only to be rescued and reopened by another publication. They were even nice enough to employ the original owner and keep him running the thing.

#

My whole point is, you need to be proactive, getting stuff done. Don’t procrastinate, now is the best time to be productive. Make simple plans, follow up and fulfil them. You’ll feel so much better, having achieved things. If you haven’t got a ton of time, maybe set a few goals you can achieve in a day. Got more time on your hands? Then make a plan that’ll take a week to do. This is you finding a light, by making it yourself. You’re uplifting your own mental health. Getting serotonin boosts.

Even if it’s just crazy basic things. “I’m going to walk to the bottom of the garden and back.” Yes, it might not sound like a big deal but you’ve gotten yourself out of the house, you’ve had some exercise and you’ve had a dose of proper sunlight, because lack of sunlight can cause seasonal associated disorder (SAD).

The end of the year is drawing near. If you can keep yourself occupied with your plans, it’ll pass by so much sooner. You’ll be in 2021 before you know it!

2020 wasn’t bad for everyone. If you start making plans now, you could be having a good 2021 because you were ready for it. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but any plan is better than nothing.