I’m slowly working my way through the back catalogue of The Creative Penn Podcast. For anyone who doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about, it’s an exceedingly popular podcast hosted by author Joanna Penn aimed at writers hoping to improve their writing, marketing and publishing techniques. As I came to the podcast rather late, there’s plenty for me to catch up on – as of today, there are 468 episodes listed on the website and the backlist on Spotify is extensive.
I recently listened to an episode dating from August 2016 where Joanna Penn mentioned that she’d started thinking of her progress in Olympic increments, looking at how far she’d got in four years rather than looking at annual progress. I like that idea, and it hasn’t escaped my notice that we’re almost an entire Olympic cycle between the date of that podcast and me writing this blog. I’m firmly of the opinion that it’s better late than never though, so how do my Olympic cycles look?
In 2008, when the Olympics were held in Beijing, I was starting my MA Creative Writing. At that point, I hadn’t managed to finish anything beyond some short stories and television scripts, so my goal from my MA was to use the skills I learned to finish something. Unfortunately, the structure of the MA I did wasn’t conducive to that, so it took me until NaNoWriMo 2009 to finish a first draft. Even so, the seeds were sown in 2008.
By 2012, when the Olympics were held in London, I was two years into my PhD and I was so far buried in sensation fiction and devotion that I couldn’t think too clearly about what I was doing with my writing. However, I was still working on first drafts and redrafts, getting several more in the bag during my PhD, including what would turn into Valerie.
2016, when the Olympics were being held in Rio de Janeiro, marked a turning point for my writing career. My grandmother passed away in February, and I remember sitting down at the funeral tea with one of my wonderful friends and setting out my plans to self-publish the unnamed book that was released as But By Degrees in September 2016. So, really, 2016 was an incredible year for me, and it’s rather fitting it was an Olympic year.
So, what about 2020? The Olympics this year are being held in Tokyo in July and August, which still gives me a few months to get some more achievements in the bag. Even so, looking at where I am now, I’m quietly proud.
I’ve got three books to my name (Amy, the second book in the Valerie Series, came out in September 2019), and plans to release another two novels this year. More than this, though, I’m part of a wonderful writing community, getting the opportunity to attend events alongside some authors I massively respect and am lucky enough to call friends. When you add to all that the fact that I have an amazingly supportive wife who looks after me when I’m in the swamp of a draft edit or the sandstorm of a first draft, I’m incredibly lucky.
2020 looks to be a good year for me and my writing career. Just to be sure, I’ll revisit my Olympic year after the Games take place in Tokyo.
