Resolutions

Today I went back and read my New Year's resolutions from last year to see if I came close to completing any of them. And then I laughed. So, instead of rehashing the resolutions I failed to accomplish because they were ridiculous to begin with, let's look at what I did accomplish.

1. I finished a pretty good draft of Spirit World, and I entered it in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition. I made it into the top 50 out of 5,000. Top 1%. I even got a pretty good review from someone from Publisher's Weekly via the contest. Not bad at all. Afterwards I did a few tweaks and submitted it to agents. I got 10 requests for either full or partials. And 6 nicely worded rejections. I assume the other 4 are rejections as well since I never heard from them. What did I learn? Spirit World was not ready to query. But I got some positive feedback as well as things to work on if I decide to revise and query again. I haven't made that decision yet because I'm busy at work on...

2. I started work in May on a new novel I tentatively titled Princess. I know that will not be it's final title, but it's what I call it for ease and consistancy. I'm currently on revision 4, and hopefully the last major one before I query. We'll see what my readers have to say about it after I finish revising.

3. I wrote quite a few short stories, trying to improve my writing. I think I succeeded at least a little bit in that capacity. I had a story published last year. Oddly enough, a vampire one. I try to stay away from them as rule because of the oversaturation in the market.

4. I won a contest for a 20 page critique from the amazing Tessa Gratton. (Who else can't wait to read Blood Magic?) I sent her the first 20 pages of Princess. She had some wonderful things to say about it, as well as some very constructive things which I am trying to apply to my entire work, writing and critiquing. I can't tell you how valuable her words were. Especially since her critique appeared in my email box the same day as Treetastophy 2010.

Also that same week, I met one of her critique partners, Maggie Stiefvater. She was doing a stock signing at a bookstore about an hour away and I made the trek out there. That meant the world to me, to be able to talk writing and books with Maggie freaking Stiefvater. OMG!

So, 2010 didn't turn out quite the way I had planned, but it was still good. Instead of making specific resolutions this year, I'm going to vague them up a little. I simply want to try to be the best writer I can be, and hopefully snag an agent along the way. If it's not with Princess or Spirit World, then maybe the next one. Or the next. Regardless, I plan to keep writing.