2015 – One Crazy Year

With today and tomorrow left in 2015, it’s time to think about all the incredible things I’ve done this past year. My life is so different from January, and yet I could almost predict some of the things that would happen.

 
This year, I thought it would be cool to break down the year by month. It’s always fun to see what was happening in life, what was popular, and everything else that happened.
In 2015, I closed two big chapters in my life, but at the same time I opened two others. I traded life as a full-time student for life as a millennial looking for a job. I closed the chapter on “when is the book coming out?” to “Here it is!”
January was the beginning of my spring semester. I took 18 hours, the most I had ever taken. In that month, The Laura Way became Ginger & Co., and Ginger & Books was born.
Laura’s Favorite: Being a Ginger | Most Popular: The Ginger’s Blog Tips: Finding Content | Ginger & Books: Stepping Stones
February was a month I was busy, and when I went back to see these posts, it really showed by the lack of posts.
Laura’s favorite: Workout Playlist | Most Popular: The Ginger’s Blog Tips: WordPress Plugins | Ginger & Books: 50 Shades of an Author’s Perspective
March was the month I realized The Assassin wasn’t going to be out in May, and for a time, I actually trashed the draft and started over. That didn’t last long. I also begin applying for summer internships.
Laura’s Favorite: It’s Okay to Not be Okay | Most Popular: 7 Boards to Up Your Pinterest Game
April? Don’t even remember it. I was too busy doing all the writing. For finals, I had a two story portfolio for my fiction class, a five paper portfolio for my advanced composition class, a tten-page term paper for my media class, half of an online class to finish, and another paper I can’t even remember. On the bright side, I only had one real final in May.
Laura’s Favorite: The Ginger’s Blog Tips: Stock Photos | Most Popular: Onenote: 5 Reasons You Should Use it | Ginger & Books: Defining Your Genre
May was the end of the semester! And the beginning of round two for job interviews. At the end of the month, I took a job with a direct marketing firm. Turns out, direct marketing isn’t my thing, but I’m grateful that I learned that before I graduated.
Laura’s favorite: Going Paperless | Most popular: Finals Week Study Tips | Ginger & Books: Building Character Maps
June was the month that I worked that job, and then left. Besides that, I really learned how hard it can be to live with thyroid disease, and it was the first time I really had to admit that I have different limits than everyone else because of it.
Laura’s Favorite: Twitter: Your Breaking News Source | Most Popular: Being Single and Being Okay with It | Ginger & Books: 5 Podcasts for Self-Publishing | Honorable Mention: The Ginger’s Blog Tips: Backing up Your Blog
July was editing month. I set myself a deadline to get it out by my birthday (November 17th), but I didn’t tell anyone besides my editor and a few close friends. I held onto that date until mid-October when the book was finished. July was my big round of edits before I sent it off to my editor, and I also completed my last basic class for college!
Laura’s Favorite: Learning to Love Myself | Most Popular: The Blog Post Process | Ginger & Books: The Badass Guide to Creating Natural Dialogue
August was…. what a month. I had finally developed this habit of going to the gym every morning, and I actually felt really good. I had more energy, I was working on the first draft of  Double Played, and my mental health was pretty solid. Then my foot started hurting. Have you ever poked a bruise to find it to be super tender? That’s what my foot felt like – and I was walking on it. Three days before I moved, I went to the doctor to confirm that I had a stress fracture in the third bone in my foot. Hello boot life! I moved back to Huntsville and started my last semester of school.
Laura’s favorite: My Last First Day | Most popular: The College Packing List (Of Everything You Probably Forgot) | Ginger & Books: 5 Things on Love Triangles
September found life and school taking over again. Oh, and more edits. And a boot.
Laura’s Favorite: Blogging Tools Totally Worth Paying for | Most popular: Color Coding Life |  Ginger & Books: Fast Drafting Your Novel
October was when I first started applying for jobs and internships. Looking back, it was crazy how I was determined to get a job before I graduated. Ha!
Laura’s Favorite: Looking at Your Last Semester | Most Popular: How Todoist Helps Me Get Stuff Done | Ginger & Books: How TV Shows Can Help You Plot Your Series
November was a big month. Book releases, birthdays, tornadoes, Thanksgiving. I also appeared on the Author Strong podcast, and a friend of mine interviewed me for a story that ended up on the university’s home page. I also turned 22 and celebrated my last birthday in school.
Laura’s Favorite: 22 | Most Popular: How I Used Google Analytics to Find My Key Audience | Ginger & Books: Creating a Production Schedule
December was the end of it all. Graduation and moving back home were the two biggest things that happened to me. Now, I’m looking for jobs in public relations and social media in every major market in Texas. So, now I wait for people to come back from the holidays and hopefully give me interviews.
Laura’s Favorite: Graduation | Most Popular: Preparing Your Blog for 2016 | Ginger & Books: New Adult & Romance
2015 has been an absolutely crazy year. So many things have changed, and I know I’m forgetting so many. From my career, my blogging, life in general. I am definitely not the same person I was in January, and I hope I’m not the same person in December 2106. I simply hope to become a better version of myself. And to figure out what that actually means.
From me to you, I hope your year has been awesome, and I hope you have a happy new year!