So, the year is gone and I am nowhere near the result I pictured for this date of the year at the beginning of 2015. In parts this is disappointing. In parts it is .. well understandable.

There are a few things I learned in 2015. The hard way.

1. I haven’t been able to establish a “regular writing time” for myself.
2. I am not a “pantser”.
3. I have a LOT to learn.
4. It is harder to get valuable critique than I expected.
5. I seem to forget the proper use of “than vs then” every couple of weeks.

Mind you, that is not _all_ I learned in 2015, but it pretty much sums up the main points that matter to me at this moment. What’s that saying? The first step to solving any problem is recognising there is one. And if I really want to get somewhere with this whole endeavour I better start making up my mind about some changes I can put into place for 2016.

Getting back to the list above I come up with this on the top of my head:

1. This is a tough one. I have nothing.
2. If I am not a “pantser”, I might be a “plotter” or anything in between. I realised that weeks ago and took appropriate steps. My bookshelf is bursting with new advice books. I basically stopped working on my WIP and dove into the theoretical and structural guidebook pool. That leads me too..
3. … I learns LOADS of new stuff. From structure and outlining processes to POV secrets, telling vs. showing – not to mention the vast amount of useful blogs out there. At days I felt like I read _the internet_. Still, there are many many more things to discover.
4. Critique. Well. Not, that I cope with it poorly. No. I just can’t find the means to get it before someone who could really help me with improving. Sure, family member read my stuff. But there is the family bond that might hinder them in being brutally honest. And there is the language barrier. I need a critique buddy who is a native in English and not a “friend”. I will need to look into this first thing 2016.
5. Then I can go on improving faster than I did in 2015. (See what I did there?) There might be hope after all.

See you all in 2016. Wonder what it will be like.