My mind is as strong as the odor of cat litter and as sticky as my chocolate-scented flesh feels, so no, I didn’t miss the fact that we’ve entered a new year and decade. It’s just that reaching such a milestone tends to make me introspective and less chatty; ergo no New Years Day blog post to date. May I make up for that now?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
How does it feel to bid 2009 goodbye? I know a lot of people more than ready to turn the page on the calendar.
For a while I even belonged to that camp. When I focussed only on words accrued on my work-in-progress (RMH), I wanted to do a slow dance off a fast ocean liner. In cement heels.
Then I did a post-mortem and discovered I’d been busier than I thought. For instance, in writing-related tasks alone, I’d:
- Joined FaceBook and now have over 700 friends, some of whom are kind enough to follow links in to this site
- Started and contributed to a small and supportive FB group for writers (the Cherry Tarts)
- Found an even larger support group for writers and joined it (Absolute Write)
- Took part in three mash-ups
- Discovered and began to consistently peruse several publishing-industry-related blogs
- Read — both novels and non-fiction (I didn’t keep stats, but the quantity has to be in the lower three-digit range)
- Began my blog May 30, 2009 and now have 89 posts published. (Not half bad for someone who didn’t know a scrap of CSS when she began, or what she’d say beyond a few entries.)
- Advanced my work-in-progress
- Beat back the Imposter Syndrome eleventy-seven times
- Placed second in the only writing contest I’ve ever entered (first 20 pages and synopsis)
- Went to my first Romance Writers of America Nationals in Washington, DC
- Attended two other writing conferences
- Found two critique partners who have taught me a ton, become good friends, and given RMH’s hero and heroine a much better chance of seeing the light of day
- Payed it forward by critiquing on other websites — Flogging the Quill, Public Query Slushpile, Query Letter Hell
- Hit up one Laura Kinsale for a blog interview
- Had one Laura Kinsale agree to do a blog interview (coming at the end of this month)
Not bad, huh? Not bad at all. Especially for someone who can neither recall nor find the goals she set herself for 2009. 
Of course, I could wish that I’d finished RMH and begun revisions on my other two books, but I find that concentrating on what I have achieved makes it more likely I’ll continue to move forward.
As for 2010, if I continued in my writing-related projects at the overall pace set in 2009, I’d be very pleased indeed.
How about you? If you write, have you created specific New Year’s goals with a timetable and spreadsheet and public accountability? Or are you like me and just determined to keep baby-stepping yourself to publication? And if you have indulged your OCD and made New Year’s resolutions, which one has you the most excited?
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Hope – wow. That’s an impressive list! Congratulations on a successful 2009. I have no doubt 2010 will be an amazing start to an incredible new decade for you.
Wow, that’s amazing! You are truly an inspiration! I am a little OCD and I’m one of those that sits down and writes a To-Do list for the year to come. I accomplished most this year, but fell short on a few.
I have the same perspective as you when I look back on my list. I am proud of what I did accomplish and I won’t worry too much about what I didn’t. I’ll just move it on over to this year’s list and make sure it gets top priority. 😀
2010 is looking pretty good from here, and I am so excited about the endless possibilities it holds.
Congratulations on all of your accomplishments in 2009. The best is yet to come!
That’s an impressive and encouraging set of accomplishments, Jan. Way to go! And thanks once again for being the Tart Starter.
While 2009 was frightening financially, it was a good year for my crazy projects; I finished three big ones. Now I have to get that kids’ book out to agents.
As I posted on Argh Ink, my official resolution is to woo my husband. (Shh! He doesn’t know.) I have a feeling flirting and fun will help smooth upcoming bumps.
Dawn, thank you. You’ve been a big part of what I’ve accomplished since September. 🙂
Jody, you inspire me all the time by posting your fitness goals. Thank you for that, and for your encouragement on the writing end. So glad you’re a Tart.
MJ, I know you’ve had a busy and challenging year, but you always seem to meet what comes your way with humor and grace. I love the idea of wooing your husband. Enough to consider stealing it. 😉
I love the picture. Lol!
Thank you, LM. It gave me a kick too. 🙂
I know I had goals for 2009, mostly related to completing stories and writing new ones. And, of course, selling them all.
Well, none of that happened but a lot else did — oddly echoing your own list in many ways. Maybe 2010 will bring the sales that will let us have “author” on our conference name tags soon!
Anya, somehow I don’t think it’s pure coincidence that your lists are similar. 😉 Good luck to you in your shopping efforts this year.
Thought you guys would get a kick out of this: Last night, out of the blue, DH said, “Hey, thanks for being nice to me.”
Me: “Well, sure.”
DH: “It just seems like you’ve been being extra nice to me the last few days. So thanks.”
Me: “Well, sure!”
Yikes, I didn’t think I was doing THAT much more…although watching “The Three Stooges” with him was clearly going beyond my norm.
Well I happen to believe that watching “The Three Stooges” goes above and beyond. 😉 But MJ, I love this idea. And how cool is that, that you are seeing results so quickly?
A few years back I had a major aha moment. It shifted my attitude by an increment, yet the results in my own marriage were huge. Please keep me informed of events.