Another year has come and gone and my muse, Juliet, has been as feisty as ever. Mind you, keeping up with Juliet is like trying to tame a blizzard. I just go along for the ride and drink a lot of coffee.
Last year, Juliet and I sat down and came up with some realistic goals, so I thought I’d review them to see how I did before establishing goals for 2010.
Um, Julie, what’s with the ream of paper…?
Goals for 2009:
#1 – Realize my limitations. I’m a working mom with two kids who are six and two. My hands are full. I can write at my job, but finding time to get on the computer, well, that’s a challenge. I need to accept it and go from there without stressing myself out.
STEPH: I did really well with this. It helped to keep my stress level low and I completed several projects. I also managed to do NaNoWriMo this year.
JULIET: She was a stress case. You should have seen her during NaNoWriMo. I’ve never seen a girl drink so much coffee.
#2 Do well in the 78th Writer’s Digest Competition.
STEPH: I thought I entered several good, strong stories, but I didn’t even get an honorable mention.
JULIET: I don’t know why she didn’t. Steph’s stories rocked. After all, I was whispering in her ear.
#3 – Continue to work and edit my novel, “The Hungarian.”
STEPH: Great news! Desert Breeze is going to publish “The Hungarian” in May 2010. I’m thrilled that all my hard work and editing paid off.
JULIET: Like it was all her? I deserve a little credit here.
#4 – Read more. Read different styles. Get inspired by a few good books.
STEPH: Oh, I got out and read. I discovered the Wild Rose Press which I adore. I definitely broadened my reading horizons.
JULIET: Steph and I are hooked on Keena Kincaid’s “Druids of Duncaroch” series.
#5 – Get more social on writing websites.
STEPH: I joined a bunch of groups – Classic Romance Revival, Long and Short Reviews, Lindsay’s Romantics, the Book Spa, Romance Writers of America, and EPIC. I’ve made some great friends.
JULIET: I told her to smile a lot.
(*****)
If you ask me, I thought I did a good job with my goals, 4 out of 5 wasn’t bad. Plus, I sold a children’s story, “The Giving Meadow” to 4RV Publishing which will be coming out in the spring of 2010. That was a nice, unexpected surprise. I also was a NaNoWriMo winner at 50.2 K words. Having accomplished all that, here are my writing goals for 2010:
#1 – Continue to work within my limitations. I was very excited to participate in NaNoWriMo and finish the project, but we’ll see if I enter in 2010. It’s very demanding and the conditions have to be right. I want to grow as a writer like I did in 2009, but without undue pressure on myself or unrealistic expectations.
#2 – My sequel to “The Hungarian” is titled “The Count’s Lair.” I want to finish and edit the project, having it to Desert Breeze by April 2010.
#3 – I want to become a Wild Rose Press author. I love the Wild Rose Press and would be honored to be an author with them.
#4 – Finish my novella, “The White Rose” about Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Right now it’s ½ done.
#5 – Finish my novel, “Twilight Over Moldavia,” and submit it to publishers. I would consider it a paranormal romantic suspense.
#6 – Do well in the 79th Writer’s Digest Competition and the Popular Fiction Contest.
#7 – Continue to read and grow as a writer.
#8 – Continue to be social on the writing groups, websites, and blogs. Now that I’ve got some momentum, I’d like to keep it.
#9 – Write more one more novel length romance this year.
#10 – Meet Chad Pennington, the football player. Juliet thinks he’s cute and he’s a comeback kid.
Visit me at:
Classic Romance Revival
http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog
Adventures in Moldavia
http://sgcardin.blogspot.com
The Desert Breeze Blog
http://desertbreezepublishing.blogspot.com
Lindsay’s Romantics
http://lindsaysromantics.blogspot.com
and drop me a line on all four blogs by 3 JAN at midnight PST and be entered to win a GC for Desert Breeze Publishing. I’ll announce the winner on 4 Jan.
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