To me, deadlines are more inevitable than taxes. And, since I apparently have some new ones to meet, the writer report I was planning on posting today is getting bumped.

I really have to think hard about what I want out of this year.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion. And yet, I experience it more often than I’d care to admit.

Looking back on not just 2013 but many years before, I’m recognizing patterns in my behavior and my habits. I know it may be a bit late in the game to be doing that, and a lot of time has been wasted because I haven’t really taken note of such things before. However, I think what’s important for me is to acknowledge these things and why they’ve contributed to my moments of self-sabotage. And a lot of that has to do with jealousy.

I’m not an artist. I don’t have the skills of the webcomic creators I follow so avidly. I’ve tried my hand at presenting my critical views in both audio and video forms, mostly because I find the talents and presence of several Internet critics rather admirable. I’m a decent hand with several games, from Magic the Gathering to Starcraft 2 to Hearthstone, but I have yet to demonstrate any true potential for a professional win record.

I don’t think I’m going to stop any of those things. I may sketch and doodle, I’m still going to review entertainment I expose myself to (especially if it sucks), and I’ll continue playing games. But these things need to come after paying attention to things I know I’m good at. And one thing in particular: being a writer of long-form fiction.

The beginning of this year seems to be one of realignment. I’m plotting out my travels for the year, and the eventual move. I’m doing my best to plan things in advance, which isn’t easy for me. In the past I’ve tended to be more of a seat-of-the-pants type. Looking back as I am, though, it’s pretty obvious that hasn’t really worked for me.

Let’s try something new this year, shall we?

I, along with many people in the country, am recovering from last night’s celebrations. I don’t necessarily like this being my first entry for 2014, but a lack of foresight on my end has put me in this position. I will, however, put together something interesting for tomorrow.

I do have a great deal lined up for the year ahead – writing for other blogs, more travel, streaming games, and so on. There is certainly more to come, and I do hope you stay around for it.

According to this report, 2013 was a good year for the blog. It was good for me in general for writing. Cold Iron sold a few copies, and I came within tantalizing groping distance of total completion with its sequel, Cold Streets. I wrote articles, chimed in on other works, and even managed to keep a demanding 9-5 dayjob in the process.

It wasn’t all wine and roses. A lot of things got shot down, went heywire, or blew up in my face, too. I’m looking back more to learn lessons than anything else, and to ensure that whatever plans I make for the new year aren’t privy to the same landmines that decimated what came before.

For better or for worse, I just hope and pray 2014 is better than the year that came before it. Bare minimum. Better than all the years would be even better.

But I’ll take what I can get.