12.30.08
New Year’s Resolutions
As I come to the end of 2008 and the start of 2009 I’m forced to look back at the year that was – its successes and failures – and look forward to changes and hopes for the new year.
In 2008, I became solely self-employed, and a mother again. I learned how important it is to manage your time and develop ways of keeping myself on track work-wise and housework-wise. I learned that I could be self-disciplined enough to work from home. I have learned that I must balance royalty paying projects with cash paying projects – although I can’t say that I’ve learned how to do that successfully. I’ve learned about markets that I can write for for a decent amount of money. I’ve learned that there are people out there who think that less than a cent a word is good pay. I’ve learned what freelance job sites offer the most opportunities for good paying jobs and how to apply for them.
I started a website (okay, that was late 2007, but it didn’t really get off the ground until 2008), and two blogs. I was invited to participate in a writers’ blog, as well.
2008, I can’t deny (even though I started a sentence with digits!), has been a good year. I have started the career I’ve always wanted. I’ve had good back-up from my job in the Canadian Senate. My to-do list is always full.
In 2009, I plan to tackle that always-full to-do list. One thing I’ve discovered in 2008 is how easy it is to get backlogged and discouraged when that to-do list doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. It’s heartening that I always have lots to do…but that doesn’t always include my own writing. I have one psychological thriller, one novel, one romantic suspense and one devotional started, but none of them are ready for publication, yet. The psych thriller and suspense books are very close to being “done” – that is, I’m at the editing stage with them. But the fact that they remain on my desk uncompleted and almost mocking me as I come to the end of another year tells me that in 2009, I must make an effort to finish them – NO! I will finish them.
“Finish” in this case means, my psychological thriller and romantic suspense books will be finally edited and ready to query; my devotional will be planned, pitched, and ready to go to print; my three anthologies that I’ve been editing stories for will be printed; my novel will be written, maybe not necessarily edited, but at least written.
I want to be more discerning in the projects I take on. In addition to my own work, I will be taking on one full-length freebie project, one partial freebie project, one ghostwriting project, one transcription project (regular) in addition to a weekly transcription project, a new position with a California publisher, hopefully, by the summer.
In between all this I also have plans to attend the Write! On Canada conference in Guelph and the Editors’ Association of Canada’s annual conference in Toronto. (See what I mean about that to-do list. That to-do list is one of the reasons I’m typing this before 5am.)
In short, I have a challenging but potentially profitable and productive writing year ahead and I’m looking forward to it!
