Happy New Year!

What the post title said!




Of course I didn't make that myself. I got it at Creative Commons, where I get all the pictures I'm too lazy to make myself. Because I care.

Woo! 2015!

2014

It's 2014. I think my feelings can be summed up by the following stick figure comic:

Back to real posts on Saturday.

Happy New Year and good luck in 2014.

Resolutions 2012

Ah, it’s 2012! So fresh, so new, so full of promise. Before the realization hits that years are just humanity’s way of giving order to the number of cycles the Earth makes around the sun and today is objectively no different from last week, I’m going to post my resolutions.

1. Finish editing GLITCH.

            This includes working on all the notes I have, more beta reads, more critiques, checking word usage, finish making it make sense, making sure it all pops like firecrackers, another grammar check, and the final polish. There’s probably more but I’ve blocked it from my mind for sanity reasons.

2. Write another book.

            Maybe two if I do NaNo again this year. I’m not quite sure what it is that I’ll write (one of the consequences of being a panster), but I had one of those magical sparks that might be Something Good. If it’s still in my head in a few months, I’ll see where it goes.

3. Start editing above book.

            I only say “start” because GLITCH has a lot more edits to go through and I want to really finish it. So…many…edits.

4. Write a query letter for GLITCH.

            And it has to be good! This will have to be sent to be critiqued too.

5. Send out queries for GLITCH.

            I hope. If life gets in the way again, I may have to resort to death. Of myself, others, all life in the universe…whatever gets in my way the most.

6. Make significant progress towards taking over the world. Do absolutely nothing that will elicit international scrutiny.

            You saw nothing.

7. Join in more blogfests.

            I think it will help make more blogging friends and that’s always fun.

What are your goals for the New Year? How much writing are you going to do?

Resolutions

Happy New Year! I wonder what 2011 has in store for us? I wish it would tell me so I could prepare. Now, I’m putting my resolutions here on the blog so you can hold me to them.

1. Make a more regular blog schedule.

People like focused blogs. Unfortunately, I like randomness, at least when it comes to topics. It keeps things interesting. Sigh. But I suppose a little more structure can’t hurt.

2. Write two more books.

I think this will probably be the easiest of my resolutions. I have tons of ideas I want to try out. I definitely know what one will be, but the second is a little more up in the air.

3. Get one of the above books to the “reader ready” point.

Now this is the hard part. Partly because it means editing. After I finish the two books, I’ll focus on one and really edit the crap out of it. Writes, rewrites, re-rewrites, and the all-important beta reading. I fear I’ll have some trouble with keeping this one!

4. Follow more blogs.

Another easy one! Don’t worry. I won’t neglect my friends.

5. Have another contest—international, too.

I’ll pick out some more books. Don’t hold your breath, though. This might take a few months. I’ll visit Borders, which has a better selection of non-fiction than my local bookstore.

6. Make significant progress towards getting A Safe Place In Hell published.

Another hard one, mostly because I’m still a novice. I need to write a snappy query letter and send it out, but I’m nerved up. I can read post after post, book after book on the subject and still fail. Hard work is up ahead. I can’t back down.

7. Be the baddest bad ass I can be.

            I feel this one is self-explanatory.

Reflections

Well, it is the appropriate day for it. Although I only started this blog a few months ago, I’m amazed at how far it’s come. No, it’s not the go to website for writing information. But I’ve made a lot of new friends on Blogger and expanded myself as a writer. I’m no longer writing just for writing; I’m writing for all the people reading my words right now. It gives me a lot of motivation.

The rest of the year pales in comparison to the last few months. I didn’t realize how much I would learn from social networking, not only about writing but about being a good online friend. It’s a lot of work! You can’t just post every day and expect people to visit (i.e. “If you build it, they will come” is incorrect). If you want people to visit you, you have to first, post something interesting; second, post regularly (I think I’m okay here); third, return the favors.

As for the months before I met all of you, I did a lot then, mostly writing stories. I wrote a record five books this year, of approximately 70,000 words each. That is quite a lot, but four of those books are nowhere near ready for readers, let alone consideration by an agent/publisher (another lesson learned the hard way). The fifth, which I’ve been pouring my focus into the past few months, is edging its way towards “ready.” In writing these books, I’ve learned what it means to go from draft one material to draft two, and it isn’t just removing the uses of adverbs and that. It’s the most valuable lesson any writer can learn, and also one impossible to teach or qualify with mere words.

Yes, there are times when words are not enough. A well placed sentence can fell empires, but not on its own.

Happy New Year.