I greet with great respect and a big smile the interlocutors of this publication.
I have come to it because of the mention made by @ morey-lezama (thanks, Orangel), although I have been very aware of the development of this community, @theinkwell, for a long time. A few days ago I gladly made a delegation of hives for you.
I even participated in the poetry challenges on a few occasions and have felt very comfortable in it.
I have seen, until now, the narrative challenges of this community as a child looks at the candies in a candy store window. I have not dared to participate due to a bad problem of my profession as a teacher ... thinking about making a mistake in writing caused me a lot of anguish ... the long academic exercise is not always beneficial ... so I have inhibited myself from writing in English, although I feel that I handle the language in an instrumental way (in addition to admiring it deeply). This has been a brake.
My inhibition decreased and I have been able to participate in two challenges in the last two weeks (forgive me Shakespeare, Dickens, Wilde…).
The only thing I would like to achieve with my writing in the next twelve months is to be able to write, write, write ... I know that I function very well under stress (I am a polymother, also committed to my own desires) and I would love to have great pressure to it.
Now I am retired from teaching, my children have grown up, I currently dedicate myself to psychoanalytic therapy and I have all the time in the world to write ... if I chose to. (world time: 24 hours - (3 hours of patient care + more or less 7 hours of sleep + 4 of reading and leisure: equal to -) ≥ 10 hours to write.
On whether my writing has improved, I would give a pragmatic answer: in writing, everything is a matter of exercise, when there is dedication and study. Sure, there must be an incomprehensible force keeping you at it.
On whether my earnings have increased: I don't know. I have not, until now, given importance to that. What has increased is my confidence in front of the keyboard, my joy when I receive a mention about a text or an award…. (I love the ellipsis).
I love seeing people in this conversation that I admire as writers; now I imagine their smiles, I know them ... Others I don't know personally, but I imagine them.