December 1st. The time of year to wonder how the year flew by so swiftly, to get ready for the mad dash of the holidays, and to make resolutions for the new year.
I have a friend who is not much for New Year's Resolutions and I'm tending to agree as I notice I start with such great intentions, and then about February 1st they fall by the wayside.
It is much more fun to look back over the year and take stock of the great events, family additions, and accomplishments of the year. What happened to you and your family this year? Even tragedy has a way of bringing families together. Did you add babies or sons or daughters-in-law to your family dynamics? What goals did you set for yourself this year? Did you meet them, or just come close? Did you do Nanowrimo? Did you win? Did you say your would finish a manuscript this year? Or send to XX amount of agents and editors? Or go to one or two conferences? Or maybe, try to shed your shy writer persona?
I decided this would be the year to put myself out there. I would send out queries. I would accept invitations to group blogs, to guest blog, to help out on blogs. I would get my name out there. Maybe it is just coincidence or maybe karma, but this is the year I became a published writer. And that wasn't even the goal for the year. LOL
Take a moment, look back over the year before you march forward into the next.
Jill James
www.jilljameswrites.com
12 comments:
As you know girlfriend, I believe New Year Resolutions are a set up to failure. Many moons ago, I stopped making them, because when I didn't make it, I felt like crap. So I just hope for the best, set a goal for each quarter, nothing to big, just this is what I'd like to get done. The biggest thing for me was Nano, and I finished and won, with 51324wrds. For me that was huge, I so needed to accomplish it this year, and did.
Lee, I think it is so great to set small goals on your way to a bigger goal. Still, there is nothing wrong in trying to lose some extra weight or trying to write more for the New Year.
Jill, yes you made it and you are a published author. I hope next year will see your resolutions and dreams come true.
Well, this has a banner year for me, and thank God for that--it was a long time in coming.
Four sales within two weeks of each other, finishing out my rein as president of the chapter at the end of this month, found 3 cousins on FB whom I haven't seen in 15 years, took on a job with a former attorney I worked for some 30 years ago who wants me to type his court reporters' notes.
Life is good.
PS I'm still extremely thrilled for your sale, Jill. It's just an awesome feeling, isn't it?
Mona, thanks for the good wishes.
Carolyn, seeing your dreams come true is impossible to put into words. Seeing your writing in a book that people will buy is priceless.
Looks like you had a pretty good year too.
Jill,
What an inspiring post. Such good ideas and very motivating. And congrats on your sale.
I am so glad you had a good year, Jill, and if I didn't congratulate you on your sale before, I am now. How proud you must be to see a dream come true. Best of luck with lots of sales in the future. :)
Jill, your attitude is very cool indeed! Congratulations on your professional success - call it coincidence, karma, but I'm guessing you got published because of hard work - writing, networking, and the all important query-writing. Good for you, you're an inspiration to me.
I too am a big fan of looking back on the goodness the year brought. Every couple of weeks, another amazing opportunity comes along for me to get my work in front of this gal or that.
I think small goals are best, because taken together, those baby steps add up to something bigger. NaNo was a bit of an afterthought, but I too won (it's the coolest, isn't it?). While reading the 'Romance' forum there, I found out about Harlequin's 'So You Think You Can Write' (deadline December 15th by the way) challenge, so am starting this now.
It's true what they say: the harder you work, the luckier you get!
Joanne, thanks. Hope your year has been good too.
Paisley, thank you very much. Hope you had an awesome year as well.
Nicola, so true that hard work is often rewarded. You have to put yourself out there to get noticed, something that is very hard for this introverted writer.
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