Ready, Set, Go!

So...2012, huh?

Despite my 2011 recap post and the fact that I watched that ball drop in NYC with my very own eyes (on TV, anyway), I still can't believe it's a brand new year. 2011 flew by, didn't it?

It was a good year, though. I feel like I got a lot accomplished and ended on a high note.

As for 2012, I hope it goes just as well.

I realize that I didn't make any resolutions in my last post. And, honestly, I don't know where to start. But for the sake of tradition, I will compile a list of things I hope to accomplish throughout this shiny, new year.

1. Finish revising Playing Nice. This is the book I've been working on for many, many years. 2010's NaNoWriMo novel and the project I keep going back to. I love the story and the characters and I want to do them justice. Last year, I shipped it off to some writerly friends (each and every one of you are FABULOUS, by the way) and got some great feedback. I've gone through and cleaned up the typos (OH, the typos!) and now I'm ready to dig into the big changes. I can't wait till it's finished!

2. Learn to write a kick-ass query letter What's the point in polishing my story if I'm not gonna send it out into the big, bad world, right?

3. Finally get my driver's license. Yeah, so I'm a little too old to not have a driver's license. And, really, unless you're Barbra Walters, you can't get away with it. So, this is the year I'm going to get that darn thing. Parallel parking will NOT get the best of me again!

4. Finish up my Associate's Degree One more math class after this semester and this one's done.

5. Keep looking for a new job. The one I have now is okay for paying bills, but it's not something I want to do forever. Definitely not. It's too stressful with it's crazy hours and awful customer experiences. I'd like a job that doesn't leave me feeling murderous at the end of my shift. And maybe one that will let me out in time to cook dinner when I get home.

6. Keep reading I may not have the most time between work and school and writing, but darn it, how else am I going to keep that well of inspiration filled to the brim? There are lots of great books out there by amazing writers and I plan to take advantage of that and learn all I can from them.

7. Keep writing. Okay, so I've kind of fallen off the writing wagon as of late, due to school and work, but writing means the world to me and I refuse to let it fall by the wayside. Been there, done that, won't do it again. No, no matter how busy I get, how full my plate is, I will keep writing. It's what I love. It's who I am.

So there we have it. Seven resolutions for 2012. They're good ones, don't you think? Nice and achievable.

Did you make any resolutions for the new year?

2011: Year In Review

Here we are again. Another year older, another year wiser?

Well, another year older, anyway.

I'm sitting here, looking back on 2011. I can't believe it's coming to an end in a matter of days. New Year's Eve always makes me sad because another year has gone by. On the other hand, the brand new year is like a fresh start, a chance to make good on the things you said you'd do the year before but never got to.

Which leads me to the tried and true Resolutions portion of this post. Last year, I made a few resolutions:

1. Complete NaNo '10 first draft.
2. Finish revising NaNo '09 novel.
3. Read at least one book a month -- it's less than I read this year, but with school, who knows how much time I'll have.
4. Blog semi-regularly. At least twice a week!
5. Write every day -- even if it's only a hundred words scribbled in my journal!

So, how did I do? Well...I finished my NaNo '10 novel, but I didn't touch '09's. I had less time to read than I anticipated, especially in the summer, but I squeezed a few books in here and there. The last two are epic fails. Anyone who reads my blog knows that I've been more absent than here this year. I successfully completed the A-Z Blogfest, which was fun, but other than that, I posted sporadic updates. And I most definitely did NOT write every day. Nope That didn't happen.

But let's take a look at what DID happen (if only to make me feel better about myself):

1. I revised the novel from NaNo '10 - twice. AND shipped it off to beta readers. I'm really proud and excited about this. This particular novel has been stirring around in my brain for upwards of 5 years. I wrote a couple previous drafts and let them fall by the wayside because something just wasn't quite right. But I chose it for NaNo last year, changed the POV and pushed through it. And what I ended up with is the best thing I've ever written. I've seen what I can do and I can't wait to take what I've learned from this story and apply it to something new. Also, I'm excited to polish this one up and maybe dip my toes in the waters of submissions.
2. I completed 3 semesters of school and now I'm two classes short of my Associate's (finally). AND I'm holding down a 3.89 GPA. Not too shabby, right?
3. I decided what I'm going to school for. Once I finish up my Associate's, I'm getting my Bachelor's in Communications. God knows where I'll go from there, but at least I've got a general idea, right?
4. I conquered my fear of driving and am ready to finally get a gosh darn driver's license. I refuse to be a weirdo any longer!

These last ones aren't accomplishments, but they did help make 2011 a fantastic year:

5. I attended the best concert of my life and got to meet the most amazing singer ever:



6. Remember this post? Remember how I decided to wait and tried to satisfy my Techno Lust with the adorable pink netbook? Well, I have the most amazing significant other a girl could ever ask for. Dana surprised (and I mean SURPRISED) me with a MacBook Pro for Christmas. I'm still in utter disbelief. And I have to resist the urge to hug my new, shiny computer super tight and never let it go!

So, all things considered, 2011 was a pretty great year for me. For once, I'm definitely looking forward to the next year!

What about you? How did 2011 treat you? Do you have any resolutions?

2010 Resolution Review (And a Few New Ones

I've been doing a lot of thinking about New Year's Resolutions. Yes, it's that time again. I'm almost afraid to review last year's resolutions, but here we go:

1. Write at least 500 words a day.
How I did: I'm not sure I made the full 500 every single day, but I definitely put in more effort than the previous year.
Verdict: I'm calling this one a win.
2. Finish NaNo '09 project
Verdict: Win!
3. Revise NaNo '09 project.
Verdict: I've revised it three times so far. Once I complete my NaNo draft, I'm heading back to the drawing board with this one.
4. Finish the Tierney/Jack story.
Verdict: This is the one I chose for NaNo 2010. I'm pleased to say I've got nearly 60k toward a brand new draft and I plan to finish it before January 18th (when I go back to school -- yay!)
5. Revise said story.
Verdict: Fail...I have high hopes for this one next year...
6. Plan NaNo '10 project.
Verdict: Win! Sorta...if you count recycling an old idea.
7. Do at least one "mini-NaNo" before November.
Verdict: Fail. I got too engrossed in revisions of my NaNo 09 novel. But I'm not complaining.
8. Go to writing groups regularly.
Verdict: Eh. I made it to a few here and there, but definitely not as many as I would have liked.
9. Read more books.
Verdict: I'm calling this a win. I read more books this year than I did in previous years. Although it was my plan to review each book I read here...maybe next year!
10. Write in journal or blog daily.
Verdict: Fail. I definitely didn't journal daily and, as you guys know all too well, I didn't blog daily, either.

You know? I didn't make good on very many of those resolutions. But progress is progress and I definitely made a lot of it this year!

Now, onto my resolutions for 2011:

1. Complete NaNo '10 first draft.
2. Finish revising NaNo '09 novel.
3. Read at least one book a month -- it's less than I read this year, but with school, who knows how much time I'll have.
4. Blog semi-regularly. At least twice a week!
5. Write every day -- even if it's only a hundred words scribbled in my journal!

I think I'll stop there. This list should be entirely possible. I'm tempted to add "Revise NaNo '10 draft" but I don't want to intimidate my muse. God knows she scares easy! I'll make this an optional 6th resolution.

So, have any of you made resolutions for the new year? If so, what are they? N