UPDATE #92 (12/31/22 – 1/1/23): Moving on from 2022

As yet another year draws to a close (and the GODZILLA NOVELIZATION PROJECT nears its 5th anniversary), I wanted to take a minute to express some gratitude, and – if you’ll indulge me – to get a bit personal.

To put it bluntly, 2022 was full of personal struggle for me, with loss and life upheavals piling up and making it difficult to be as creative as I’d wanted to be. I won’t dwell on the specifics, but between December of last year and today, I’ve had to say goodbye to four friends/family members who’ve passed away, nearly lost three other friends (all of whom are okay now, but damn was it scary), and dealt with the ramifications of some past trauma that seriously impaired my focus, among other things too personal to get into here. A lot of my time this year was spent caring for (and grieving with) family and friends, navigating some tough emotional moments, and reflecting on how beautiful yet fleeting life can be.

I don’t say any of this to complain or to elicit sympathy or pity. Far from it. I like to keep things positive and uplifting within the realm of the GNP, and I certainly don’t want to “harsh anyone’s buzz” or make anyone worry.

I also want it known that, despite all the stuff I mentioned above, I’m doing okay. I’m not ill or depressed, and this year has also given me countless blessings, some of the greatest of my entire life, in fact.

But yeah, if you noticed a sharp decline in the amount of content produced by the GNP this year (from new chapters and short stories to blogs, timeline updates, site updates, and Monster Musings podcast episodes), this is why.

I wanted to acknowledge this for two reasons. Firstly, because – as an audience with a vested interest in my work – I believe you’re owed an explanation for why the content you (hopefully) enjoy has been slow this year.

And secondly, because – despite this slowness and long periods between updates – you’re still here.

In this fast-paced world of content overload, it’s easy for projects and creators to slip out of mind and get buried by content that’s more consistent. But that hasn’t been the case for the GNP. And that absolutely blows my mind.

Despite the infrequency of updates, 2022 saw nearly 5,000 visitors to the website, and an amazing 18,194 page views. The first chapter for the novelization of 1954’s Godzilla alone was read 268 times over the last 12 months, and the project’s newest tale, “Katsura’s Story,” is nearing 100 reads after only a week of publication.

After the sad year I’ve had, you have no idea how much that means to me.

I don’t typically check or share the GNP’s metrics (clicks aren’t nearly as important to me as knowing I’ve entertained people, however few). But seeing those numbers really put into perspective just how much people genuinely care about this project. Whether they’re longtime readers or curious newcomers, they continue to read. Even with the scarcity of content this year, they still showed up. YOU still showed up.

And so, as we move on to a new year and new possibilities, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you all for being such wonderful readers. Thank you for sticking by me during one of the hardest years of my life, even if you didn’t know the impact you were having. And thank you for being supportive, enthusiastic, patient, and kind. You’ve given me a tremendous gift, and I hope to continue being worthy of the support you’ve shown me.

Onward to 2023, to better days, and to a return to form for the GNP! I promise, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet… 😉