Well, 2020 is over folks, though that doesn’t mean this year is going to be infinitely better than the last (don’t mean to be a Puddleglum here), and if it’s not, we can’t say “well, it’s 2020” anymore, so what are we gonna do??? What are we gonna blame it on now??
But anyway, with the new year here, I have decided to do an Epic, 202 Wrap Up Extravaganza, and I’m going to take you on a Magical Mystery Tour journey through all 42 months of 2020 (if I actually remember what happened in each month, because let’s be honest, March lasted through like June so, that’s the “mystery” part of the tour).
We’ll start first with some notable books I read:
Finished the Maze Runner trilogy: FINALLY. You can read more about that here.
Hidden Figures: REALLY good.
All the President’s Men: Makes you want to be a journalist.
ALL The Lord of the Rings: I read the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, AND the Lord of the Rings. (Not that I haven’t read these books before. But I needed to reread the Silmarillion because I actually understood it this time, and I’ve never read all the books in a single year).
To Best the Boys: I honestly enjoyed how subtle this book was. The fantasy aspect was subtle, even the plot. A lot of books are DOOM AND EPIC AND THE WORLD IS AT STAKE, but this was just fun and personable.
January
BLISS. January was honestly a fun month, fun mostly because I didn’t see what was coming *cue foreboding music*. I gave myself a writing retreat and came up with the idea for a Snow Queen retelling which became Red Heart, Ice Mountain (2020’s NaNoWriMo novel, which is now at 70k and I’m like….halfway through???) (yes I realize that if I’m halfway through that means the novel will be outrageously long. That’s why we have editing, dearie).
This month as great as well because…DINOSAURS.
February
Eh…..I honestly don’t remember what happened this month.
March
The month it all began. And let’s just take a look at a gem from my journal, written a week after lockdown: “it’s only been a week but I feel like I might lose it.” (Voiceover: thankfully, she did not lose it, at least not completely.)
Thankfully the Mandalorian stepped in to rescue us from losing our minds at the end of March.
We started watching a lot of movies, including a Tom Hanks binge, a Tom Cruise Binge, and my sister and I did stroll-down-memory-lane binge.
April
More binge watching. I started listening to the Narnia soundtracks which I probably hadn’t listened to since I was like, 12.
I also was full-blown into walking the neighborhood obsessively like a wolf in a cage. And there were some trips to the lake.
May
Doing ballet class on carpet in your living room sucks beyond belief.
June
Lockdown was kinda starting to be lifted, and I was finally able to start my new job.
Managed to finish writing the first draft of the Michigan Triangle.
Badminton. There was a lot of badminton. My sister and I ended up getting really good at it through the summer, and we’d play it in the middle of the street like some 1930’s kids in Brooklyn playing baseball.
July
Finally, FINALLY we started up ballet classes again and I swore never again to give myself a ballet class at home.
AND THE DRIVE-IN. Drive- in movies stepped in to save us. We saw Jurassic Park (A.MAZING on the big screen AT midnight IN July). We saw Footloose (wild time) (also I feel like that movie is really underrated??) and, to top it all off we saw all the Lord of the Rings EXTENDED editions.
August
Life finally, kinda, maybe, started “teetering” on the edge of “normal”
Most exciting thing: I starting querying!!!!
And then I encountered this beautiful patch of sunflowers.
September
Besides being my Birthday month….
WE HAD A PERFORMANCE. With all the cancellations at the beginning of the year, I can’t tell you how good it felt to be back on the stage. It was outdoors, and there were masks, but it was great.
October
Finished the unintended rewrite of Oh, Wonder, Why the Sun Fell. Here I thought I would make a grand scheme and plan for my Snow Queen novel. I planned names, and place names and the arc of the story. I thought I did a real banging job on my outline. Well, now far into writing the novel, I see just how little I ended up planning.
And then I dressed as King of the Woodland Realm for Halloween.
November
Began with a NaNoWriMo all-nighter that ended in 11,000 words and a trip to McDonald’s. Ended with a virtual Nutcracker performance.
December
CHRISTMAS AND I FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO DIE.
(That’s a long story I won’t get into, but I was not actually sick and thankfully never needed to go to the hospital).
But besides that, there was plenty of Christmas joy, a few missed blogs, some really slow drafting, and some more outdoor performances where I played the Nutcracker for two hours at a time out in the cold. And snow.
Then we had Christmas. Then the year ended. And as we stepped outside after the New Year was rung in, we heard a very loud and strange, rumbling sound. Was it the Martians landing? Had a portal opened? Was the Dark Curse here?
No, but apparently a few streets away a car did randomly burst into flames at the stroke of midnight, thus creating the rumbling. Thus, ringing in the New Year with a spell of doom.
Hello 2021.
~~~~~~~
Well, that was 2020, of course with the boring bits cut out (in hope that you found the “non-boring” bits entertaining).
Though I’m not putting my trust in 2021 to be a good year, I am excited. Got some big, new things starting, and have some writing goals lined up:
- Continue querying Her Name Was A Ghost
- Finish editing Oh, Wonder Why the Sun Fell
- Finish the first draft of Red Heart, Ice Mountain
- Read the Michigan Triangle and do research (because I know exactly squat about magicians)
- And of course, NaNoWriMo 2021 (of which I already know what I writing *evil laughter*)(I won’t say much, but it is a thriller.)
These are all doable, finishing editing Oh, Wonder Why the Sun Fell being the only one I’m doubting (every time I sit down to edit it I end of rewriting the whole darn thing). So we’ll um, see what happens *nervous laughter as I side-eye the manuscript*
Things will continue on the blog as usual, but if you have any post requests or suggestions, I’m always open!
Alright. 2020 was weird and awful. But what was ONE good thing that happened? Something you’re proud of? A favorite book? Favorite movie? New music you discovered?
Bernadette Benda 
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