2009 in Review
It’s always interesting to look back to what my expectations were for the upcoming year, now that it’s history. Here are the goals I’d made for 2009:
1. Blogging more. Aiming for at least once a week might be a good idea.
Um. Yeah. This continues to be a big issue for me. I flounder with reasons to blog and wonder who might find my occasional ramblings interesting. I’ve lost my place.
2. Getting my website completely redone and the blog integrated. Hopefully within the next month.
It took a bit longer than that, but look around you! Isn’t my new home beautiful? (You’d think I’d spend more time in such a cool spot.)
3. Novel Submissions: Keep Majai’s Fury in submission.
A partial is currently sitting on an editor’s desk. Going on three months now, which might not be the best sign!
4. Writing: Finish Dottie and Tempest. I’ll consider doing NaNo this year, if these are complete and nothing else seems to be more pressing.
No, no, and…um…no. Sigh.
5. Contests: I plan to submit at least two entries into the Genesis. Of course I would like to increase my *streak* of finaling and increase my standing. *If* I final again this year, I’d like to try to get to conference in September. But that’s not quite a goal.
I submitted three entries, Dottie, Chloe and Majai’s Fury. Only the last one finaled (but did not win). However, I did get to go to conference!
6. Revising: I’m not sure what will hit the front burner on this one. It depends on how long the writing from Goal 4 takes. At the moment it’s a toss-up between Quest to Be Queen and Chloe. I wish I revised faster is the real truth!
Wow, I agree with my former self. And if I can’t revise faster, I should learn to write cleaner first drafts. Chloe got the nod for revision in 2009. I went through two revisions in the first part of the year, pitched the novel at conference in September, then completely rewrote her, had her critted, revised, and sent her off to the editor who requested her in mid-November. Whew.
7. Critiquing: I’ll take on up to four novels this year for crit, though I’m not sure right now which of my partners will have something ready. So this goal is a bit vague.
Counting them up here. I critiqued seven complete novels (four quite short YA) and lots of random chapters, articles, workshops, etc. I might have missed remembering something.
8. Forward Motion: Continue with moderator duties at Forward Motion, including writing and facilitating one new workshop this year. Other things may come up.
Two new workshops run in 2009: Me, My Muse, and I in May and Deep POV in October. And a bunch of articles in Vision: A Resource for Writers, some writing book reviews, a couple of website reviews, and a brief series called Writing 101.
9. Book Tours: I’m committed still to touring at least a dozen new books on this blog this year. .
There are 19 posts tagged review on my new blog alone, from April on. So definitely got this one down!
As with other years, many of the highlights of 2009 had little to do with the goals I’d set. A few milestones of the year:
1. A sad loss as our old kitty, George, was laid to rest at nearly 14 years of age.
2. Moving to my new website and blog.
3. Bees! We started with two hives, and are now enjoying our own honey.
4. A week-long island vacation trip. No, not those islands! Various islands off the west coast of BC, including Vancouver Island, Galiano Island, and Hornby Island. Some camping with our son and his wife, too.
5. A big garden, which equals lots of food put aside for winter in both freezer and canning jars.
6. Visits from two long-time buddies from Forward Motion, Erin and her family, and then a few weeks later, Maripat and her daughter.
7. Huge highlight of the year was attending American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference in Denver in September. Absolutely awesome time learning from masters including Donald Maass, making great new friends, and getting two of my novels requested by editors.
8. Redecorating an upstairs room to act as my at-home office, and totally renovating our living room.
10. Our daughter and son-in-law, Hanna and Craig, are expecting their first baby on March first, 2010. Yay! I’m going to be a grandma 😀
Wow, those are some pretty awesome accomplishments! I’ve failed in most of mine but then this was a heck of a year. Good on you – and keep going! 🙂
That looks like a fabulous year from here. Hugs on not getting Dottie or Tempest finished, but you did great on everything else. I am in awe at your critiquing and your work for FM!
You didn’t manage everything, but you did do a lot. Not only that, but you showed yourself ready and able to flex when your expectations changed. You may think you revise too slowly, but the Chloe revisions were such that they should count as two novels revised, if you ask me.
Thanks, gals 🙂 I’m honestly pretty happy with 2009. But I’m always amused how my year detours from what my goals were, even if the results are still decent.
You had a great year. Next year will probably be better with the babe on the way. Cheers to 2010!