Friday, December 30, 2011

New Year's Resolutions

As promised, here are mine...

29th December 2011

Dear Me,

It doesn’t feel like so long since I last sat down to write one of these, but it has in fact been almost a year. And what a year! Before I move on to list my goals for 2012, I should take a moment to reflect on 2011’s successes and failures.

It has been a good year for me as a writer. I got my 2010 NaNo novel, Chasing the Taillights, revised and polished in time for the 2011 Text Prize deadline and entered it. I didn’t win, or even final, but having that deadline really kicked my butt to get finished. Since then I’ve queried it and entered contests with it, and have gotten some wonderful feedback even if I haven’t snagged a publishing deal or an agent. The general gist has been that the writing is good, the characters are relatable and the story is emotionally engaging, but it’s too quiet for the current YA market.

I’m just finishing my 3rd or 5th draft of my new novel, The Boyfriend Plague, and fell that it probably has more commercial appeal, even if I don’t love it quite as much as Taillights.

My resolutions begin with that book. I’m closing in on the end of this draft, and hope to have it all done by the time I go to the beach on January 14th. I will wait for feedback from my critique partners and polish, rewrite and edit as needed. Then it will be time to start querying, hopefully by March.

If Taillights hasn’t found a home by January 23rd, I will enter it in ABNA. I have entered the past two years, making it to the semi-finals (with Assignment 9) in 2010, but only through the first round in 2011. Taillights is a much better book, so I have to hope I’ll make it further in 2012.

I have ideas for two new books that I hope to write in 2012, both of which I’m excited about. Trying to decide which to go with may be a challenge, but I’m pretty certain that by this time next year, both will have been written, if not revised and polished to a high shine.

I intend to remain active and involved with my critique groups. Some of us have come so far in 2011, I’m certain 2012 will be the year many of us break into the big time. As they say, a successful writer is one who didn’t give up. And I’m not giving up. I’ve racked up hundreds of rejections now, if you count the ones for short fiction as well as for novels, but I’m not lying down to die yet. Every project teaches me more about the craft and my own process and I’m eager to continue learning.

As always, I’ll resolve to lose weight this year, and as always, I won’t. But I will continue my four-day-a-week gym schedule, mixing up the classes I take so I get a varied program of cardio and weights.

And there you have it. Some goals and ambitions for 2012. How about we re-visit mid-year and see how we’re getting along? And then again around this time?

Happy New Year!

Love, me.

What are your resolutions?

5 comments:

  1. I'm trying to not hate running, but really want to take my biking higher. I'm working on 1,000 words a day, finishing my WIP and starting a YA book marinating in my brain.

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  2. Great goals. I, too, have hundreds of rejections. I like that you refuse to give up. I also think it's a great idea to revisit your goals mid-year.
    Happy New Year!

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  3. Blerg! I hate running too... There are better ways to keep fit.

    Giving up won't get you what you want, will it? Great attitude!

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  4. Weight is on my list too... Great goals. Good luck!

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  5. Great goals Kate... best of luck in achieving them all..... especially finding a home for your manuscript:)

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