End of Year Review - 2015

2015 was a tough year us. While that may not be an excuse, hopefully it helps to explain why I was only able to interview 6 out 12 fabulous authors this year. But I mean it when I say fabulous. These guys, and lady, couldn't have been friendlier, more willing to share, or knowledgeable in their particular fields.

Ed Vela was my first guinea pig. I chose him on purpose because of our twenty year friendship and experience in writing plays and screenplays. He was able to introduce me to fellow playwrights Fernando Dovalina and Carl L. Williams. Teri Mathis and her husband have been friends of ours for more than ten years. She and Tom Scanlon are both non-fiction writers. I met Tom and Gibson Michaels in a writing group. Gibson rounded out my novelists as a sci-fi/fantasy writer.

I had plans on asking other friends of mine that have published plays, cookbooks, are technical writers, and even reaching out to forming professors for interviews but I never got the chance. In August I had another seizure and went on driving restriction for three months. In September I had another seizure so I had to start the three month count all over again. I have just been released. It kind of puts a damper on interviews when you can never go out and actually interview people. So I decided to put it on hold.

What I decided not to put on hold any longer was finally finishing my education. This has been nearly a ten year process, longer if you count the first time I started college right out of high school and dropped out. I started earnestly in 2006, when my son started kindergarten, and I will be finishing his sophomore year of high school.

I made the transition from forensic science to creative writing and couldn't be happier. With one semester in the bag and three more to go, I feel like I am finally on my way to accomplishing a life long goal. Thanks to my incredibly supportive family for putting up with all my craziness. Just today I was so distracted I made a cup a coffee but forgot to put my cup underneath my coffee machine to catch the stream of coffee... Thank goodness for drip trays, right? And this was at the end of the semester...

Thank you again, Ed, Fernando, Carl, Teri, Gibson and Tom for sharing with me everything you learned about creating, brainstorming, publishing and most importantly, how to just keep writing.

Good luck to everything you do in the new year.

Merry Christmas Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from my family to yours.

End of Year Review - 2014

And so, as all good things tend to do, we come to the end. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. Writing 12 in 12 has been an experience I am so very grateful I put myself through. In the first six months I learned a lot about myself and about my limitations. What I liked, what I didn't like, what I thought I was good at, what I realized I was terrible at... And so forth.

I got my very first rejection letter this year. That was both the most exciting and horrifying moment in my career thus far. I have cried at each and every subsequent letter I have gotten. I have also printed each one out and placed them very carefully in a bright yellow folder labeled "One Step Closer". One day I will get one that says, "Congratulations, Laura!" and I will cry and have to create a brand new folder to start filling up. I haven't decided what to label that folder or what color it will be.

The last six months were more difficult than the first, though they only proved to strengthen my decision to be a full time writer. I ended up not getting very much done this summer. I had two heart catheter procedures. One was exploratory and the other was to fix an abnormality that was causing severe chest pain. So between the doctor's visits, hospital stays, bed rest, pain, side effects, and kids' summer vacation I never got around to finishing anything I started. 

In September I took some time off to do research for an idea I couldn't get out of my head. I did try my hand one more time at sci-fi/fantasy writing but still couldn't wrap my head around it. I envy you sci-fi and fantasy writers. I guess I just don't have the chops for it. I always end up writing a horror story. 

Which is exactly what I did in October. The short story I created for this particular contest earned me the last rejection letter of 2014. I'm not sad about it. It has strengthened my resolve to be a better writer. And also to recognize that just because I like something, doesn't mean the entire world is going to. There will be a place for me one day. Seriously though, my short story just wasn't ready for the world. 

But it soon will be, thanks to the fantastic writing group I joined. 

NaNoWriMo was almost a success in November. My husband told me to look at it this way; I was closer this year than I was last year. If it hadn't been for a killer migraine and really nasty chest cold (which I don't suggest if you've had previous open heart surgery, I don't care how long it has been) than I honestly think I could have made it to 50,000 words. 

I'm still working on my December challenge. The due date isn't until January, so I hope you won't think that makes me a cheater. Writing is still writing, right? And I'll let you know if I add to my collection of rejection slips or start 2015 off with a brand new folder.

What are your New Year's resolutions about writing?  Share them in the comments below. 

I am going to finish the first draft of my first novel. 

I am going to write something a minimum of five days a week. It is my (low paying) job, after all.

Happy New Year from Writing 12 in 12.

December Writing

November has come and gone and what a month it was. It was a whirlwind of activity in our household! From birthday highs to illness lows, I feel like we were run through an obstacle course but we came out of it (somewhat) healthy, (not at all) wealthy, and a little more wise.

We began the month celebrating my birthday with a Monster Movie Marathon with our closest friends. Then I tried my hand a second time at NaNoWriMo. I had the worst migraine I have had in years somewhere in the middle of the month. Then we had a quiet family celebration for my husband's birthday. My son and I caught a ruthless head cold just before Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some quality family time and turkey (but we kept our germs to ourselves). And now I have a lovely Christmas tree to look at for the rest of the season.

So, how did I fare in NaNoWriMo? Well, thanks to the migraine and the head cold, I never truly got caught up after I fell behind. I started off strong, reaching 25,000 words by the middle of the month; right on target. But by the end of NaNoWriMo, I had written only about 30,000. Am I disappointed? Of course I am. But 30,000 is still about 20,000 more than I wrote last year. And I still plan on finishing my book and (hopefully) going on to the publishing phase . Now, whether that will be going the traditional route or self publishing remains to be seen. Perhaps that will be a topic one month for next year's Writing 12 in 12...

Speaking of next year, just because this is the last month of my challenge, doesn't mean that Writing 12 in 12 is going away. I have plenty of surprises in store for next year, so stay tuned!

For December I have narrowed my choices down to three things:

Great Old Ones Publishing is accepting submissions for stories about cryptids. They are looking for original stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words to include in an anthology. Be creative and be unique are their top requirements. Visit their site for information on how to submit.

Highlights Magazine is looking for mystery stories up to 750 words. This is a children's magazine so the stories can't include crime, violence or derogatory humor. Visit their site for more information.

Litro Magazine's February issue will be centered around 'Diaries'. What do diaries mean to you? They accept short fiction, flash fiction and nonfiction. Visit their site if you are interested in writing about 'Diaries'.

I'm not sure what will inspire me this month, or any month, so I have learned to keep my options open. December is always  busy, what with the holidays and all. At least I still have a few weeks until the kids get out of school to get to work.

How do you plan on balancing your writing and your holiday celebrations this year?

For me? I'm hoping to get rid of this nagging cough. And also to get as much done as possible before the kids are out for their winter break.