2013: A Writerly Year in Review

This year has been big for me in writing. I think it was the first full year that I really took my writing seriously and worked at it as often as time would allow. I also reached out beyond my own little writing cave to other writing craft opportunities. So for this post, I thought I would recap all the major happenings of my writing life and hope to top that in 2014!

In February of 2013, I was selected as a FREE participant in literary agent Mandy Hubbard’s class on Writing and Selling the Young Adult Novel. Wow, was that class an eye-opener for me. And I met sooo many talented writers there that I’m still in contact with today! It was a great way to kick start my year of writing, even though it led me to morph my WIP idea to something completely different, I think it turned out pretty well!

writing-and-selling-young-adult-113 Continue reading

2013 Debut Author Challenge

2012-debut-author-challengeI have a dream. I dream that one day people will be making their Debut Author to-read lists and MY book will be on them! Until then, I must support my fellow writers who have finally made it to the brink of their dreams and cannot wait for release dates to arrive this year.

Over at The Hobbitsies Book Blog, they are doing a 2013 Debut Writers Challenge, asking people to support and read at least 12 debut author books this year. I went through the list and there were so many goodies to choose from! Alas, I picked my 12 and have displayed them below for your viewing pleasure (because awesome book covers are one of my favorite things!) **Hint, click on the book cover to read the summary on Goodreads! Continue reading

My Writerly Resolutions for 2013

2011-year-resolution-400x400_3I have never been a big believer of writing New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I know that I am made up of 10% ambition and 90% lazy. Well, at least when it comes to things unrelated to writing. You know the “I’m going to work out and eat better this year.” Yes, I would love for that to be actually plausible but let’s face it. I hate working out and I love to eat food that isn’t green. It is true that I will still probably subject myself to the treadmill and “salad only” phases throughout the year but I can promise you that it will not be consistent and it will not be fun.

I have never made a writerly resolution list though, and I think that making one and trying to follow it actually will be fun. Of course, there will still be times when I want to throw my WIP across the room and then set it on fire while my three cats pee on it simultaneously…but, I digress. The overall fun-ness level should stay relatively high.

Here are the resolutions I came up with this year for 2013 as it concerns my writing goals. I have first listed the goal and then in parenthesis the “ambitious” version of the goal. Really, the ambitious version is my actual goal but, as I said before, when you realize that you are made up of 90% lazy, you have to make yourself feel good when you exceed expectations.  If I reach some of my “ambitious” versions of my goals, I will be thoroughly impressed and may reward myself with a cookie…or ten. Continue reading