As the year starts to wind down, I’ve taken part in a few writer Zoom get-togethers where the participants all discuss how their 2021 went, and what they’re hoping to accomplish next year.

(I’ll go into a little more detail regarding my own plans for 2022 in the next few weeks)

It was great to hear about the wide variety of projects that saw completion, along with the pride each writer took in talking about their work. Also nice – modesty. No pumped-up egos or “bathe in the splendor that is my wonderfulness!”

There were also those who had started something, but for some reason or other, hadn’t been able to finish it. That yielded a lot of sympathy as well as encouragement to get back on their respective horses.

The biggest underlying theme of all the conversations was “This is something I’m passionate about, and I’m going to do what I can to get it done/made.”

Doesn’t matter if it was a script, a short, a film, a webseries, or whatever. Each person had a project (or projects) that they were working on and was excited to be doing so. Results were varied, as were the timelines of progress.

Which is really what a lot of this comes down to. Each writer was working on a project and doing so in the way that worked best for them.

What was also really nice was that nobody was comparing their progress to anybody else’s, which is how it should be. It’s easy to fall into that sort of trap, and doesn’t help with bolstering your own confidence.

Everybody’s path is unique to them, and them alone. What works for you might not work for somebody else, and vice versa. Focus on what you’re doing and don’t worry about the other person.

Seeking an outside opinion? Ask someone you trust for honest and helpful feedback, and don’t feel obligated to take their word as “this is what needs to be done”. This is YOUR project, so trust your gut instincts to lead you in the right direction.

Most of all, do what you can to enjoy the journey. If you’re not enjoying it, the odds are high the material will reflect that, which means the reader/audience won’t enjoy it either. If you’re not passionate about it, why should we be?

We do this because we like/love it, right?

And it’s great seeing people be excited when talking about a project they love, because it makes us want to know more. Maybe we’ll even be invited to offer up our thoughts and comments to help them make it better.

So here’s to you being proud of what you accomplished in 2021, and for more of the same in 2022.