2020 was wildin. I entered the year with more plans than ever before – quit my corporate job, publish Storm’s Breath, travel Asia, move back to Florida from my 7-year home in Scotland, reconnect with family, find a flat, slide into a new software engineering position…
I do a lot of planning. But the goals are what’s important. So when the pandemic threw everything into chaos, focusing on my goals helped me scrape together a pretty solid year.
I put in my 1-month notice two weeks before the pandemic became popular, but when my boss gave me the option to remain, I still Brexited. I hastened my moving plans and made do on distanced goodbyes rather than the rager I’d envisioned. And not only did I self-publish Storm’s Breath, but listened to it as a Podium Audiobook, an achievement I never saw coming.
2020 turned out differently to how I thought it would. Worse in a lot of ways. RIP travel plans. Few new Floridian friends. Working from home led to unfocused apathy: days at a time when I didn’t want to get out of bed, when any words felt like ashes on my tongue. But I was able to grind it out and still get a lot done, personally and professionally.
The quarantine also meant a lot of free time for consuming media. So here are the 2020 Ford Awards.
Book of the year:
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. I’m a Standerson. RoW brought back my favorite part of the Stormlight Archive series: revelations about Shallan’s incredibly sus backstory.
Oh, and Storm’s Breath of course. There are still moments that get my hype up, even now.
Game of the year:
Not strictly a new game but Old School RuneScape released a temporary mode called “Trailblazer“. Players chose areas of the map to unlock, which led to brand-new emergent strategies . I was heavily addicted and loved every second of it.
In terms of an actual new game, gotta be Genshin Impact. The game is beautiful, the exploration is engaging, and the combat rewards intelligent play. I also like the gatcha aspect – grinding free-to-play until I can gamble for a new character is a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed my ~100 hours without spending any money and still have a lot of content left.
Album of the year:
I didn’t fall in love with any albums actually released in 2020, so I’m instead choosing the album which impacted me the most, which is mewithoutYou’s Ten Stories from 2012. The art rock concept album explored the paths of escaped circus animals and made me ponder my role in the capitalist institution.
Overall 2020 score: 9/10. I got a lot done. The circumstances sucked, but focusing on what goals were achievable within the circumstances has led to a productive year.