happy new year

Bring on 2026 | Get on with it!

/ J.R. Roper

What a year! I’ve referred to myself as a Dad-Taxi before, but 2025 hit a new level. I’ve been trying to rekindle/awaken my writing groove for a while now and found some glimmers of success over the past few months. I experienced the magic of early morning writing sessions and found a book, Save the Cat Writes Horror, which generated some breakthroughs on my current WIP. Sometime in the summer of 2025, I also asked myself why? What’s the point in doing this work?

Reminding myself of my why for writing was a really important moment this year and it was twofold. First, because it makes me feel whole. I feel better, like myself, when I’m writing regularly. I also remembered myself as a young adult. I didn’t enjoy reading until I discovered Harry Potter and from there, I became a life-long reader and eventually a writer. I am writing for myself when I was thirteen years old, books that would have inspired a love for reading had I never set foot in Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. So what now? The new year presents a great opportunity for letting go of what hasn’t worked and reimagining what my life as a writer could be based on where I am right now, not where I was a decade ago when my kids were in bed before 8 pm and writing past midnight was the norm. 

So what am I working on? Well, it feels like something old (the first draft was finished in 2012), but based on the changes I’ve made, it is essentially a new project. I can’t give up on it until I have given it my all, and this rewrite will be just that. Wish me luck! I’m focusing on the NOW with this project. The only time that really exists is right now. Goals help us determine which direction to travel, but each step happens on a moment by moment basis. My motto for writing this year is: Get on with it. 

If you are reading this, thank you! I wish you peace during this holiday season and inspiration for the year to come. Live now, not in a past you cannot change, or a future that doesn’t exist yet. Whatever you’ve wanted to do, just get started. Get on with it. 

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

2023 Recap and Happy New Year!

/ J.R. Roper / Leave a comment

I’m not sure what to make of my writing in 2023. I had many days and weeks with no progress and then others with unusually productive hours. I woke at 5 AM for three weeks straight during the early fall (I have never been a morning writer but I aspire to be) and hand wrote thousands of words. And then I just couldn’t. I firmly believe in the power of writing every day, but it has been many years since I came close to that ideal and 2023 was no exception. But, it is dangerous driving forward while looking in the rearview mirror. It is a great way to crash and destroy the future. So, let’s get on with it. After a few highlights of course.

I got to spend a lot of time with my favorite person on the planet this year (my wonderful wife), so I can’t be anything but grateful. I also had the privilege of watching my kids try and succeed at old and new endeavors and grow in many ways. They are growing too fast!

I had two short stories published this year, which provided a great boost for me as a writer. The first story, Communal Fire, was published by Every Day Fiction and is a short ghost story. The second story, The Wicker Demon, was published by Eastern Iowa Review and was my first fantasy story published for the adult market. 

My current project continues to progress and I am hopeful to share it with you sometime in 2024. I had hoped to have the final edit done before writing this post, but I am not quite there yet. Cheers to a new year and I hope we can all block out the noise 2024 is sure to bring and focus on the things we can control and the people we are blessed to have in our lives.

Happy New Year!