The Basement Office

The Munchkin wishes all of you a Happy New Year!  (As do I!)

First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates (since late November, yikes! Sorry!).  There are more excuses than reasons for this I’m afraid.  I can only say, the year starts anew and it’s a good time for a fresh start!

Read on for a recap of 2011 (the good, the bad, the ugly) and some non-resolutions!

Let’s start off with the good:

•  2011 was the year I wrote 105K words, a complete novel, in 60 days.   This is a fair sized accomplishment for me.
•  I submitted something commercially for the first time.
•  I started blogging on a more regular basis (and enjoyed the hell out of it)
•  I wrote more than once in a while, although not quite the “every day” I was shooting for.
•  I enjoyed seeing my daughter grow from a newborn to a walking, chatting toddler.  I realize this isn’t really about my writing, but it’s worth mentioning.  I loved the heck of 2011 just for that!
• I started a writing group with some good (and extremely talented) friends that shows promise.
• According to WP, this blog has 60 regular readers and quite a few of you still check in daily to see if I’ve updated (Again, sorry about that).  I want to thank you all for reading!  I appreciate it.  Don’t be shy about saying hello now and again.

There’s some bad too (in every life rain must fall right?):

• I didn’t submit enough out there to get the 5 rejections I was shooting for.
• I didn’t finish revising Revenant
• I did not accomplish that whole “write every day” thing that we writers SHOULD do.
• Near the end, stresses and general suckiness drove me away from posting on the site as well as writing.  December was a complete fail on that front.
• There’s a whole lot that I won’t write about here that I’m glad to leave behind in 2011.   It’s just private stuff, interesting only to me and a few others.
• I did not follow up with the writer’s group I started.  While it’s not dead, it’s definitely in a coma due to the holidays right now.

There’s the ugly:

• Just kidding.  There’s no ugly.  I am blessed that while there are some rough spots in my life, I have it pretty good on average.

So here’s the deal.   What’s 2012 going to be like?  

I have no idea.   Let me take a shot at putting down what I’d LIKE it to be like.

I don’t like resolutions anymore.  Resolutions are things most people (including myself) say in the rush of New Year’s and then promptly forget by January 7th (If not sooner!).  The resolution that is actually maintained a whole year is rare indeed.    The following aren’t resolutions, just thoughts that I want to use to shape my path through the next year.  I’m going to try like hell to follow that path, but we’ll see what comes.

• I will try to write every day (I KNOW this will not happen, but I might end up writing more than I usually do, and that’s a good thing.  I’ll consider writing every 2-3 days a solid win, though I will try for a daily word count).
• I will finish Revenant dammit!  This manuscript has been languishing long enough already.   Time to see if it’s got legs.
• I will finish my other manuscript too.  It’s a good story but it needs a lot of editing, rewriting and love.
• I will get my 5 rejections this year.  If not more.
• I will try to write more short stories.
• I will write at least 1 installment each month for The Expensive Universal Instrument (at least).
• I will update this blog at least twice a week, on a regular basis.

So what’s coming up?   Well in the immediate future there’s a few cool things:

• Capricornucopia 2012 on January 14th!  I really REALLY need to sit down and finish my script for it!   If you’re reading this, are in the area and want an invite, just send me a message (or reply here, whichever you prefer) and I’ll send you details.  The more the merrier!   Last year was a blast!   I’m hoping 2012 will continue the trend.
• Writing Workshop:  I’ve registered for a writing workshop that starts next week!  I’m cautiously excited.  It lasts 12 weeks and should be a good thing to help get into that writing groove.   There’s a particular focus on shorter works of fiction so that will be a big help as well.

So once again, I wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you all for your support!  I hope to see you browsing these pages this year and I will enjoy giving you something to look at!