Happy New Year 2017 - Annual Review

The first book I will read this year, thanks to a New Year's gift from a dear friend!

While a lot of folks like to look at the annual review at the end of the year, I like to do mine the beginning of the new year…why kill the magic of what could happen the last few hours of a good year anyway!
 
2016 has been a year of highs and lows with my writing and editing work. Some surprises thrown in – good and bad. But, I like to look at the positive more than the negative and use that energy to glide into the New Year.

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The highlights of my year were beginning as an editor for not one but two print magazines out of the blue. It has been a learning experience and a steady curve but loved holding the printed version every month knowing that was my work.
 
In the New Year though, I leave one of those mags to stay with the other and launch a new title – print is not dead and print work is growing! I am excited for the stories we will share in 2017 and look forward to new connections and content.
 
Other highlights included a short but promising stint as editor with an online web magazine. I am not working with them anymore, so it isn’t necessarily a highlight in that it was a successful project but more a highlight in terms of learning how I work – a daily online magazine with daily updates is certainly not my style. I did see my writing and overall quality of work suffered.
 
Unexpected work came along from some old friends and contacts, which was welcome and happily accepted. The best kind of work is when people remember you for what you do and come back again and again to work with you. Even better is when they enjoy working with you and refer you to others as well. I had a few of these instances pop up through the year and all worked well in my favor. I’d love a few of these in 2017 please.
 
Some of my cold pitches and random letters of introduction where I saw an opportunity ended up in writing and editing assignments, which were a bonus to work that I already had going on. They provided a good break and some additional action here and there. And, of course, extra moolah in the bank! I even managed a few website content clients which I had been working on for a year or two prior so it felt nice to have that come to fruition as well.
 
As for the lows, there were some months and some projects that had to be shelved which I would have loved to see work out but for reasons beyond my control, those collaborations did not come together as expected. Some of the sites I wrote for had to shutter down and that reduced the avenues I could pitch and place stories. The good from this experience was it got me out of my comfort zone and looking for more channels for publication. The bad is it did throw a spoke in the wheels of a well-oiled machine and resulted in some of my slower months of work.
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Overall though, 2016 wasn’t a bad year for the fact that I just moved cities and homes toward the end of 2015. I was really expecting 2016 to be a pretty dull year work and finances-wise and am happy to report I fared much better. Here’s to strengthening professional ties, breaking new ground, excelling at existing responsibilities and opening wide a whole new world of opportunities in 2017.
 
Wishing you success in all you do, may all your work and effort pay rich dividends! If you have an annual review to share, would love to read more so leav ea link in the comments below.