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Kate Ristau’s 2023 Year in Review

I hope your final days of 2023 have been warm and wonderful. Mine have included a fair amount of chocolate, coffee, gifts, and books (in no particular order!). I also dove into a video game (Baldur’s Gate 3) and am editing a novel (Adult Fantasy). The holidays have been wonderful. 



That is a picture of me holding a donut because nothing says holidays like donuts. Every year, about this time, I sit down to look at what the heck happened. Have you heard that joke about forgetting? I would tell you it, but I forgot it.HAHAHA. You’re welcome. But seriously, looking back and taking stock is a good thing. It helps you get your head on straight before you launch into another year.

For Writers

For creatives, it’s especially important to look back and remember what you accomplished, worked on, hated, or loved. It’s so important because, for some of us, no one is checking in on what we’ve been doing. 

If you want to finish a book, you have to, you know, finish it. Your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder.

There are other ways to keep accountable: writing communities, book coaches, helpful (and unafraid to be annoying) friends. 

But, I’m going to put my foot down here. Real hard. Get ready.

Angry monkey

Sorry. I didn’t meant to do it in such an adorable way.

The thing is, you gotta be accountable to yourself. You got to believe in your work, celebrate your successes, and keep track of what happened. 

You are your biggest critic, and you also have to be your biggest fan. You gotta love you. 

So, that’s what I’m doing today. I’m gonna celebrate the good stuff. If you do it, send me an email. Let me celebrate you, too!

What happened – Kate Ristau’s 2023 Year in Review
Year in review as a graphic

So many cool things happened this year. I wrote two online games (I WROTE GAMES! My teenage self is freaking out!). I published a non-fiction kids book (IT IS A-MAZE-ING! The Minotaur is freaking out!). I finished up the Shadow Girls Saga (IT IS OVER! My middle-aged self is freaking out!).

For those of you who stuck with me, thanks for surviving that A-MAZE-ING joke, too. Other things you survived included me endlessly complaining about revision, encouraging you to volunteer with me, using too many exclamation marks(!!), and posting endless photos of coffee. I would add a coffee pic here, but instead, randomly, here is a VERY cute picture of a pig I met.
 


With everything I learned this year, what would I do differently next year?

I would like to be more intentional about my writing, including writing for games. I kind of fell into game writing, and need to think about how it links up to everything else I do. I also would like to work on more essays — I enjoyed writing the Chicken Soup for the Soul essay, and I know I have more real-life stories I can craft.

But mostly, I want to be very selective with what I say yes to. It’s going to be a busy year, and I have good things on their way out into the world (you’ll hear first), but I also have to be smart. Don’t take on too much.

Ha. I’ll tell you how that goes.

Justin Timberlake looking at me

Justin. Don’t look at me like that. I got this. Really. I do!

This I promise you.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I am looking forward to having a cup of coffee with you in 2024, if we can. Shoot me an email, and we will make some plans. 

Oh no. I’m already talking about making more plans.

We will definitely need that coffee.

Cheers!
Kate


Links to the Good Stuff!

Mythwakers!

Shadow & Shimmer

“Start” in Winding Paths

“Shine” in Cozy Cosmic

“Skater Girl” in Chicken Soup for the Soul