2011 Recap

Once upon a time I wrote some goals for 2011 and posted them here. It’s always interesting, if not thrilling, to look back on those goals a year later and see how I did.

I made these writing-related goals, and here’s how I did on them:
1. Prepare 2-3 novel openings for submission to Genesis (by March 4)
I prepared one and entered it then got started on a second. However, on January 31 I found out I was no longer eligible for Genesis due to the sale of the novella, so that was the end of THAT goal!

2. Write 1-2 novels
I wrote one novella (Topaz Treasure, due out May 2012 in Rainbow’s End–yay!!–and one novel, Check Mate, the second book in the Green Acres series.

3. Revise 1-2 novels
I did a quick edit of Majai’s Fury early in the year, and then a couple of rounds on Topaz Treasure. I didn’t revise any ‘new’ novels.

4. Prepare 2 novels for submission
Nope. Domino’s Game was mostly ready in 2010, and I didn’t finalize anything else other than the novella.

5. Attend ACFW conference (September in St Louis)
I sure did! And what fun it was, too! One of my favorite parts is volunteering.

My other goal was non-career related:
Lose 1-2 pounds per month by snacking less and exercising more.
I did not do this. 2011 was a challenging health year for me, especially the first half. Not much of an excuse, but it is still true!

Things I vowed to keep doing in 2011:
One more year of webmaster and board secretary for Creston Valley Food Action Coalition
I did this, and as of December 2011, I’m off the board for at least a year, though still webmaster.

Plant, care for, and process a large garden
Due to the aforementioned health issues, my garden was somewhat less tended than some years, but we still got plenty off of it.

Take a vacation!!
We didn’t go on a ‘big’ vacation this year, but thoroughly enjoyed five different camping trips in our new-to-us holiday trailer, including a one-week shakedown with our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. What fun!

Spoil my granddaughter 🙂
Oh yes! I’m always up for spoiling SweetPea, and do it every chance I get! And I love having goals like this that practically fulfill themselves…

What else happened in 2011?

Writing-wise, the biggies are the sale of Rainbow’s End and accepting representation from my agent, Joyce Hart. I also got to critique the novellas for my three anthology partners, and a few novels for my buddies, YA author Nicole O’Dell and spec fic writer Margaret McGaffey Fisk.

I enjoyed being a part of two recipe collections, both of which are currently available.

My website got an overhaul that’s bigger than it looks, due to Margaret McGaffey Fisk. How can an overhaul be bigger than it looks? If you have a peek at my Kitchen page (scroll all the way down!) you’ll see hints of what the new theme can do. It’s far more adaptable now to my whims and needs, so long as I stay on Margaret’s good side! Look for some fun new pages as we get closer to the novella’s release.

How did your year stack up to your expectations? Good? Bad? Indifferent?