So, 2020 left the room a few days ago. People, in general, were saying 'good riddance', as if 2020 would take Covid-19 along with it. But of course, it didn't. What we have is another year, called 2021 and the same circumstances we had before. Covid-19 isn't going anywhere for a while.
We just lost our most senior family member on the day after Christmas, so our festive season came to a sudden end. Not that we were having much of a one, to begin with. I didn't even put up a tree this year. Both kids were in Covid-19 isolation over Christmas. But I was enjoying my Christmas. The quiet reflection, the intense liturgy, the beautiful Christmas hymns. Okay, so I was watching the Mass on YouTube and listening to hymns on YouTube. So what? Since no-one's going out, life's left hectic now. There's time for little things. Like listening to the Christmas hymns. If there's one Christmas song that really sticks in my mind from Christmas 2020, it's 'Come O Come Emmanuel'. In previous years, it's been 'Oh Holy Night' and 'Mary Did You Know?'
Coming up to Christmas, I lost the will to write and dropped temporarily out of my blogging group. I fully intend to go back, though. This happened before. I got over it and I will do so again. I just need some time. Sometimes, that's all it takes, after all.
I successfully completed two writing challenges last year. I wrote 100,000 words in two months. I wrote two 50,000 word novels last year under two writing challenges, GothNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo. GothNoWriMo takes place in October and its participatory aim to write up to 50,000 words of a Gothic novel in that month. NaNoWriMo is an all-American challenge in which overseas writers also participate. It's 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. I completed the word count, but I need to put at least two more chapters on the novel. Once that's done, I'll go about ending, editing and publishing.
I'd been looking around for January writing challenges when a little notice popped up in my Facebook notifications. A group of which I've been a member 100k in 100 Days, was starting up again on January 1st. It took me a day or two to organise myself, but I decided to join. There's nothing like the prospect of a challenge to get the creative juices flowing, in my humble opinion.
So here I am, back to writing. Better get back to my blogging group now.
Thanks to Pixabay for the imagery, especially to Islem Benzegouta from Pixabay and Free-Photos from Pixabay
