2014 - Wrap-Up of a Damned Good Year

ANNOUNCEMENT OF MIND-BLOWING IMPORTANCE:

This is the first time in history I've ever fulfilled New Year's resolutions!

Jump back, eh?

Flashback January 2014:

What I want to do in the next year:

• Finish that second draft.    And the third and part of the fourth!
• Involve my small, but growing list of Critique Partners and Beta Readers.  Oh, they got involved all right.   
• Get regular with this blog.  OK, so it's more a sort-of cross-off. Since NaNoWriMo, I've gotten regular enough. Got plans over here.
• Enter some of those Twitter contests with agents out there.   Done!
• Run my third and maybe fourth 5K.   I got to my fourth. 
• Be able to get inverted.    I'm a headstand queen.

Added:

• Got writer educated. 

I took more classes. I learned the Heroes Journey, how to make my words more poetic and colorful and even combined yoga with writing. Thanks, Story Studio. You guys are awesome. See you in a few weeks.

• Put my book out there.

Pitch Wars was a rush. To take something I'd been poking at for so long and tell others to judge it is almost certifiable. I did not win any mentor sponsorship, but I got something better: a new critique partner.

• Found amazing new CPs and even more beta readers! 

I love these people. I'm so excited and honored to have them helping me out. (and love getting to read their stuff too!)

• I've learned how to take criticism. 

Sure, it stings, hurts the ego, etc. But I need it. This book of mine has been in my little headspace for far too long. Of course, I'm going to have a clouded vision.

• Did NaNoWriMo again. 

But this time I was "legit". I wrote something completely new. And get this, in October, I PLOTTED and got the whole thing done — first draft bruises and all — on Day 18.

I solemnly swear I will not pants again.

I could keep going. There's a lot more. This year was frigging amazing! Gotta be honest, I'm worried 2015 may not live up to the accomplishments of 2014.

Nah, I think it'll be even more exciting. Thanks for joining me here for the ride.

What I want to do in 2015:

• Make MG look the way it deserves in a near complete rehauling.
• Run outside in winter and get another couple races in. 
• Tackle Pharaohs in second draft.
• Deny the cupcake.
• Continue to make this blog even better, and, dare I say, consistent.
• And maybe, just maybe, start the querying process. (read as definitely)

NaNoWriMo: Day 29, The Aftermath

At 52,156, I finished my story and now I'm stuck with the opposite problem that my YA contemporary fantasy has. Much less words!

So, this is what plotting does. Interesting.

I crossed my 50K over a week ago, but I took advantage of the time to proof. Added 2K in there. Not a shock.

So, the vitals after NaNoWriMo 2014?

Title: Even Pharaohs Turn to Sand, or EPTTS

Genre: NA Contemporary/Romance

Length: 52,000

Pitch: When a prestigious post-grad job announces Grayson as a top candidate, will she get her just deserves or swallow her pride and admit her past?

It will be very interesting to see how much this changes after I put it away and come back to it in a couple months. 

I want to thank many fellow writers who sprinted with me, online and in person, the lovely baristas who served me coffee (including the one who became my muse), my children for patiently waiting for playtime so I could get my daily word count out and my husband who cheered me and got me those wonderful slicky notes for plotting. There's no way this month could've gone as smoothly without you.

A day off and then I return with a renewed approach to my YA. Oh, Mega Girl, I missed you so.

So what did you all write?