This year has been, for lack of a better word, amazing – not just professionally but personally as well. But since we’re not here to gossip about my personal life (just read about it in my autobiography – my fictionalised autobiography, that is), let me list the highlights and lessons I’ve learned this year.
Highlights
- Publishing my second book, The Girl Between Light and Dark, and getting such an amazing reception for it
- Getting the third book picked up for publishing (it’s still a scream-worthy moment for me and it’ll never change)
- Speaking in two sessions at the Philippine Readers and Writers Festival in Manila
- Meeting readers and authors during PRWF
- Being able to go to meetings with certain people in certain industries that I can’t talk about because…well…nothing is certain, but at least my name is out there now
- Ghostwriting for the first time to a huge international client (that I can’t talk about because I signed an NDA)
- Launching an awesome platform for my day job
- And finally, working on another project and possible collaboration with other authors.
Lessons
- Hard work pays off. It may not seem so sometimes but really, what else can you do? It’s not like you want a mediocre book or outcome. But it’s a bonus if the work you’re doing is something you actually like doing.
- Don’t be afraid to meet new people. I’m not a social butterfly – far from it, but this year, I was lucky enough to meet amazing people in the industry. These connections had ended up fruitful both professionally and personally. Sometimes, it’s good to just swallow your fear of social interactions and go for it.
- Never stop believing. I’ve always been one to dream, ever since I was a child. I figured fantasies couldn’t hurt, right? But this year gave me opportunities I didn’t think would happen this soon and this fast.
- My take for next year is to just keep going. As Dory said, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Should be easy enough.
Have a great holiday season you guys!
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