Momentum picked up again in April, in the best possible way. I intend to do everything I can to keep it on the upswing!

April Wrap-Up

Done:
Pitches/Queries/Submissions — 12
SDR blog post – 1 (the other got away from me)
Work for Confidential Job #1
Sole Struck Fashions Article
Follow-up on January pitches/queries – 3 (Decided not to follow up on 11 other pitches because I wasn’t interested enough to pursue them; did not follow up on the 4 pitches where there’d been some negotiation, but I was pretty sure they were a scam; decided not to follow up on pitch to one publication because they now pimp bidding sites; decided to wait one more month to follow-up on 2 pitches to give them more time).
Finished draft of FEMME FATALE.
Kept up with client projects
Proofs and submission packages for ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT

In Process:
CRAVE THE HUNT
Preparing for the launch of DIXIE DUST RUMORS
Author interviews
Research for Bedtime Louie stories
CHANELLING JIM MORRISON
HEEBIE JEEBIES
Building Jenny Storm web presence

Undone/moved:
April newsletter – never sent it out Newsletter with be March/April/May. Want to put it in new format.
Mick Feeney story – hope to get it done in May
Chronicles of Nowhere story – likewise
Brochure mailing – now that I have a good computer with great capabilities, I’m redoing all the brochures that are in re-design
Final edits on OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK – don’t have them yet from my editor.
Get back to work on The Big Project
ANGEL HUNT revisions

Additions:
The Maine Book
The Nathan Book
The Sci-fi Book
The Matty book
Blood Soup (play)
Sequel to TILL DEATH DO THEY PART (play)
Four guest blog posts
Twitter

Disappointments:
I need more hours in the day!

Achievements:
Got my Mac.
“The Retriever” was accepted and contracted by Books for Monsters.

I need to make up for some of the projects on which I’m behind, and reshuffle some projects as new projects come forward and grab priority.

April To-Do List
–Follow up on January pitches/queries
–April newsletter
–client assignments
–work for Confidential Jobs 1 & 2 as it comes in
–Sole Struck fashions
–3-5 pitches per week (12-15 for the month)
–author interviews
–Mick Feeney story
–Chronicles of Nowhere story
–research for Bedtime Louie story
–continue work on CRAVE THE HUNT
–edits on OFDW as needed
–edits on DIXIE DUST RUMOR as needed
–finish FEMME FATALE
–finish CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON
–finish HEEBIE JEEBIES
–brochure mailing
–continue creating Jenny Storm web presence
–work on The Big Project
–start submissions for ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT
–work on ANGEL HUNT revisions

March was better than February, but still not as productive as I needed it to be:

March Wrap-Up:

Complete:
Literary Athlete column
Pitches – 7 (way under — relied too much on job boards and was not aggressive enough on my own marketing)
SDR blog – 2
ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT – revision
Sole Struck Fashions post
Kept up with client work
Guest blog for Ye Olde Inkwell
Guest blog post written for Star-Crossed Romance (to post in April)
Work for Confidential Job #1

In Process:
Billy Root story – and got CRAVE THE HUNT title
Bedtime Louie story
Mick Feeney Story
Men’s monologues
Women’s monologues
FEMME FATALE
CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON
HEEBIE JEEBIES
Brochures
Jenny Storm web presence

Dropped/Undone:
Nowhere Chronicles story
Edits on ODFW (because they weren’t sent)
Edits on DIXIE DUST RUMORS (because it’s still too early)
The Big Project
Helena Francis Mystery
Next Merry’s Dalliance story
ANGEL HUNT revisions

Unexpected Additions:
Revision of “Ris an Abrar”
new anthology stories

Disappointments:
Too much post-mortem paperwork and fighting with unethical companies
Elsa’s illness threw a monkey wrench into the works.

Achievements:
I saw the production of TILL DEATH DO THEY PART (my play)

Reading:
I read a lot, but didn’t track it properly.

February sucked, on oh so many levels, but March provides a chance to both catch up and move forward.

Several items on this list are clean-up from last month or things that rolled over from January to February.

Client work is picking up, so, although it’s only a single line on the list, it requires a solid block of hours every day.

So, here’s the To-Do List for March:

March To-Do List
–March newsletter
–Client assignments
–3-5 Pitches per week (total for month 12-20)
–do interviews with Karina Fabian and Kim Smith regarding their respective releases
–SDR column
–2 SDR blog posts
–Sole Struck Fashions
–guest blog post for Ye Olde Inkwell
–Finish Mick Feeney story
–work on Bedtime Louie story
–First Chronicles of Nowhere story
–continue work on Billy Root story (and find a title)
–edits on OFDW as needed
–edits on Dixie Dust Rumors as needed
–start OFDW publicity blitz (one I’m given release date)
–work for Confidential Jobs 1 & 2 as it comes in
–3 men’s monologues
–finish FEMME FATALE
–finish CHANNELING JIM MORRISON
–work on HEEBIES JEEBIES
–brochures and mailing
–Jenny Storm web presence
–work on The Big Project
–Get back to Helena Francis Mystery
–next Merry’s Dalliance story
–Finish revisions on ANGEL HUNT and ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT; start submission process.

February was a difficult and frustrating month for me. Life threw a lot into my way, and I felt like I couldn’t keep my head above water on a number of fronts.

I got a few things accomplished, but nowhere near what I needed to get done; a few glimmers of hope on the horizon, and a wonderful new cover for my next Jain Lazarus mystery, OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK. So, there were some bright spots.

Teaching at the CWCO was a wonderful experience — I was thrilled with the quality of student.

Here’s the wrap-up, and tomorrow comes the next to-do list for March. Let’s hope March is better on all fronts!

Completed:
Pitches/Queries — 19
Taught at the CWCO
SDR blog – 1 (possibly a second post up today)
Work for Confidential Job #1
February Newsletter
Guest Blogger at Urban Muse
Contributor at Sole Struck Fashions
Juggled multiple site jobs

In Process:
Billy Root story
The Lucy Gothic (no schedule for this; work on it piecemeal)
Revision for ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT
3 Men’s Monologues
Mick Feeney story
FEMME FATALE
CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON
F/U on 2008 log – not complete
Work on brochures
Creating the Jenny Storm web presence
3-5 backlogged stories – got out two

Dropped/Incomplete:
2 Women’s monologues – rolled over
ANGEL HUNT revisions – rolled to March
HEEBIES JEEBIES – rolled to Marc
OFDW edits – because they weren’t sent to me to work on
DDR edits – because they weren’t sent to me to work on
Start Project S – rolled over to April
Complete the Big Project – rolled to March

Unexpected Additions:
Developing the Ocean Fantasy Novel
Bedtime Louie Racetrack Tales
Corporate Proposals

Frustrations:
The banks
Congress
Cancelled trip to Montreal
McAfee
Not a frustration, but a stress: Elsa’s illness

Accomplishments:
Short story accepted by THE RANFURLY REVIEW
Great teaching experience

Reading:

WRITERS AT WORK FIFTH SERIES. Edited by George Plimpton.

KISS HOLLYWOOD GOODBYE . Anita Loos. Memoir, by turns interesting and frustrating. Good background for THE FIX IT GIRL. (Re-read)

HELL AND EARTH. Elizabeth Bear. Fascinating fantasy novel set in Shakespeare’s time and faerie. Some reservations about it, but, overall, fascinating.

2 Books for Confidential Job #1. It’s confidential, so I can’t discuss it here, but it was good!

DEATH OF A BORE. MC Beaton. Hamish Macbeth mystery. Interesting for character, setting, structure.

DIARY OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, VOL. II. Dipped into here and there for inspiration.

A NOBLE RADIANCE. Donna Leon. I love these mysteries, set in Venice. They always surprise me, they always make me hungry (so much great food and wine in them), they always are a joy.

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY. Donna Leon. Ibid.

KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET. Carrie Vaughn. This is the second Kitty book I’ve read. I like the character development. My only criticism in this book is that the character who is the “betrayer” is not close enough to the readers for us to feel the full impact of the betrayal. The character is too peripheral in the overall story, and one figures who it is, because of the character’s placement, but never why.

DEATH OF A MAID. M.C. Beaton. Another Hamish Macbeth mystery. I find it interesting where Beaton chooses to stay within the confines of genre, and where Beaton chooses to break those confines.

I think I read some other books this month, too, but I can’t remember them.

January’s gone, February’s begun.

I’m giving myself a well-earned day off today so that I’ll tackle the list tomorrow with energy and enthusiasm.

Here it is:

–Finish 3 men’s monologues
–Finish 2 women’s monologues
–Revise and get out FEMME FATALE
–Finish CHANNELING JIM MORRISON
–start HEEBIE JEEBIES
–First Mick Feeney story
–ANGEL HUNT revisions
–ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT revisions
–Work on Billy Root story
–edits for OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK as needed
–edits for DIXIE DUST RUMORS as needed (probably too early for those)
–Start project S
–Complete The Big Project
–Pitch 3-5 jobs per week (total for month 12-20)
–February newsletter
–3 more back-logged stories out
–work on material for Confidential Jobs 1 & 2 as needed
–teach at the Catholic Writers Online Conference
–blog for Urban Muse
–Sole Struck Fashions Blog
–juggle three site jobs in the same week
–continue work on both brochures and do first mailing
–create Jenny Storm web presence
–2 SDR blog posts

Can you believe January is already over? It flashed by. Wow.

Instead of forgetting half of what I did during the month, I tracked what I did and what I rolled over as it happened, which made for a more accurate list.

My wrap-up for the month reads as follows:

Completed:
Pitches/Queries – 19
January newsletter
Created 2009 submission log
Created 2009 Pitch log
Submissions – 2
Scruffy Dog Review blog posts – 2
Revised THE MATILDA MURDERS
Re-read ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT with an eye to edits

In Process:
The next Jain Lazarus story (from Billy’s POV) – begun
Worked on new Fearless Ink brochure
Started clean up of 2008 Submission log
Only sent out one short backlogged piece instead of three
CHANNELING JIM MORRISON
FEMME FATALE
Men’s monologues

Undone/Released:
Work on the Big Project – must get back to it in February!
Begin ANGEL HUNT revisions – rolled over to February
Mick Feeney story — rolled over to February
Women’s monologues – roll over to February
Return to the first Helena Francis Mystery – rolled over to March
Next Merry’s Dalliance story – rolled over to March
Begin Project S – rolled over to March
Work on Nina Bell – that was questionable, and rolled over
Work on Meribeth story – that was questionable and rolled over
Work on Carlton Thorne story – that was questionable and rolled over

Unexpected Additions:
Worked on The Lucy Gothic
Drafted a direct mail piece for fiction
Accepted a slot as a contributor on Sole Struck Fashions
Till Death Do They Part Press Release
100K Manuscript polish
Additional “emergency” scene for play
Invitations to guest blog on Urban Muse and Star-Crossed Romance
Sold a YA mystery
Wrote 10 minute play
Jain Lazarus press release
Jenny Storm photo shoot

Frustrations;
My computer
Potential “employers” who turn out to be scammers – this is where my skeptical, suspicious nature comes in handy
Scumbag UHaul
Scumbag financial institutions

Achievements:
Started my stretch into a new type of writing with the work for Sole Struck Fashions.
Sold a YA mystery
Wrote a ten minute play
The play that opened is getting a wonderful response!

Books Read:
John Cheever’s Journals. Beautifully written, and, while I continue to admire him as a stylist, I am glad I never had to deal with him in life.

MAKING MONEY By Terry Pratchett. Brilliant, delightful, frighteningly relevant social satire about the banking industry.

A BOOK OF ONE’S OWN by Thomas Mallon. A wonderful book about people and their diaries; I re-read this about once a year.

Book for Confidential Job #1. Since it’s confidential, I can’t discuss it. But it was good.

PAGES FROM THE GONCOURT JOURNALS. I read about 50 pages and then put it back on the shelf. Their loathing and disrespect for women is sickening. While I might need to refer to it in the future if I ever set anything in Paris during this time period, it made me angry and I stopped reading.

A RING OF CONSIPIRATORS: HENRY JAMES AND HIS LITERARY CIRCLE by Miranda Seymour. Interesting literary and social history of James’s years in Rye, England. It’s a book to be dipped into, not read through solidly, so it is unfinished, but enjoyed.

THE NEW DIARY. Tristine Rainer. Interesting take on techniques to go deeper with one’s personal journal writing. This was a re-read, and I found some of the assumptions and points of view dated.

WRITERS AT WORK. Fifth Series. Edited by George Plimpton. Interviews with writers. Fascinating. Needs to be dipped into, not read all at once; therefore unfinished.

Overall, I feel good about what I accomplished against what I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the month.

Although I fell well into my projected pitches, I’m actually surprised that I only pitched for 19 jobs. Most of them came from job board listings, which is the least likely way for me to get really viable opportunities. Hopefully, I can complete the direct mail pieces in February, which will position me for better jobs in terms of quality of work and quality of pay.

I had a pretty good return on the pitches; however, quite a few of the ads that responded turned out to have quite different terms and much lower or shady payment plans that was originally advertised, and those I turned down. You get torn between, “I did pretty well because I got so many responses” and “I’m not going to take that because it’s a scam or not what it advertised”, so you don’t really know where you are, except in a better place than doing a lot of work and THEN discovering you don’t get paid.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a contract in place BEFORE you start to work.

Some wonderful opportunities came across the pike, and I”m proud of myself for remaining open to them and to be willing to reshuffle my list in order to fit them in without stress.

I’m also thrilled that the play which opened is getting such a strong response and booking additional dates, and that I sold a YA mystery.

Many of the frustrations had to do with things that were somewhat beyond my control. I have to figure out what I can control in each of these situations, and then figure out how NOT to let what I can’t control upset me so much.

It’s been an unusually enlightening month.

I look forward to February, and I look forward to hearing about your Januaries!

First, let me say that I’m not a big fan of “to do” lists. I’ve tried working with daily and weekly lists. It’s too structured for me. I wind up acting as though I’m five and rebelling against it and not getting anything done.

That said, in order to achieve one’s goals, dreams, and resolutions, the big things need to be broken down into smaller, manageable bits, and a monthly list helps me see what I have to get done (especially when it comes to deadlines). I often shuffle and re-shuffle as new projects come in, especially if they are projects that pay. But the list at the beginning of the month gives me a clue as to what I need to do and how to get there.

That said, here’s my list for January:

–Rewrite THE MATILDA MURDERS
–Begin FEMMFATALE
–Begin CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON
–3 men’s monologues
–2 women’s monologues
–Write & edit the first Mick Feeney Story
–Begin the next Jain Lazarus story (from Billy’s POV)
–Get back to The Big Project
–Get back to the Helena Francis Mystery
–Finish ANGEL HUNT revisions
–next Merry’s Dalliance story
–Pitch 3-5 jobs/week (total for month 12-20)
–Create, print, and send out new brochure
–New Jain Lazarus press release
–January newsletter
–at least 2 SDR blog posts
–clean up 2008 submission log and do follow-ups
–create 2009 submission log
–create 2009 Pitch log
–look at back log of short pieces and send out at least three
–begin Project S
–work on material for Confidential Jobs 1 & 2 as it arrives
–Polish materials for February workshop
–take a look at ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT to see if it can be salvaged
–work on next Nina Bell?
–work on Meribeth story?
–work on Carlton Thorne story or other genre expansion story?

I’m happy to say that I can already cross off several items on the list. The three last items, with the question marks, are possibilities — I’ll slot them in if I get everything else done, but they are maybes, not definites at this point.

What is on your list for January?

I’ve added two new resolutions to my list.

The first, and most important, is to stay on top of email, sort it and archive it every day, and check my pending folder once a week. I get approximately 500 legitimate emails per day, and I have to stay organized about them.

The second resolution is to keep a cordial distance from wanna-bes. The bottom line is that actual, professional writers WRITE. They don’t write “whenever they feel like it” and they don’t make excuses. For my own mental health, I need to stay away from writing-energy vampires. I’ll be pleasant, but not caught up in their excuses. As a colleague of mine says, “Who cares about the writers who can’t be bothered to write? Less competition for slots for the rest of us.” Perhaps it’s not the kindest take on the matter, but I am DONE.

Here are the remainder of my initial answers for the 2009 questions.

13. What is the greatest gift to your writing self you can give?

January: Time and focus.

14. What do you need to renegotiate with other factions in your life to give yourself more writing time?

January: I need to manage my own emotions better so that interruptions don’t throw me for a loop for hours on end. Drop it and move on. Also, this year, I have to take a long, hard look at whether or not I should do Nano. It threw a monkey wrench into several things this past November. Although I’m glad I got to play with the idea for the mystery begun in the workshop, I had too many other deadlines looming over me that didn’t get the attention they deserved because I was caught up in Nano. And I ended up feeling frustrated all the way around.

15. Decide on one writing risk for this year – be it a submission in a new genre, attending a conference, or trying something completely out of your comfort zone. Write about it, and set yourself a loose timeline to accomplish it.

January: I don’t know what this is yet. I’m still trying to figure it out. Maybe co-write something with a friend and fellow writer – we’d discussed it last year, but haven’t managed to get back to more discussions.

16. What new and unique marketing arenas will you enter this year to promote both yourself and your work?

January: I’m seriously considering purchasing a page on the Long and Short site. I’m trying to be more active in loops, and more supportive of my fellow writers on a regular basis. I think I also need to create a speaking platform and seek out more speaking engagements.

17. What do you need to do to enhance your self-esteem so you refer to yourself as “writer” FIRST when someone asks you to define yourself?

January: This is how I refer to myself and how I define myself. For me, this is a non-issue.

18. What kind of time commitment are you willing to make on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to support your writing?

January: Focus the bulk of my day on writing, revising, marketing, and searching for jobs each day. Fill in with other stuff only as needed.

19. What other elements needs to balance with your writing? What happens when you feel unbalanced?

January: Fitness, which for me, is primarily yoga. Spending time with friends and family. Traveling. Going to museums. Reading, especially material that I’m not paid to read or need to read for research, but am reading “just because”. When I don’t take percolation time and down time, I can’t create.

20. What contract are you willing to make with yourself to prevent writing from falling farther down on your priority list when “life gets in the way”?

January: No one will “give” me the time. I have to create the time and space to write. If I don’t achieve my writing goals, the only one to blame is myself. It’s up to me to set boundaries and to reshuffle as life requires.

21. How do your writing goals for the year fit into your dreams for the future?

January: Writing is the foundation of my future.

22. What resolutions do you make to integrate your writing and the rest of your life?

January: It is integrated. I just need to up the payment ante.

23. How do these goals fit into your three year plan? Your five year plan? Your ten year plan?

January: The writing is the springboard to everything else. I want the Jain Lazarus Adventures complete in three years. The Gwen/Justin adventures will be complete within five years, and I have several other multi-book projects that I want to write, market, and get published within the next ten years, along with everything else and all the new ideas that come up. I also want to keep playwriting as an integral part of my professional writing life.

24. Name one new non-writing element you plan to introduce into your life (and that might give you something new about which to write).

January: There are several non-writing elements I want to introduce into my life, but they have to wait until I move.

I want to find a good and supportive yoga studio.

I want a garden (one where I can grow a mixture of flowers, herbs, and vegetables)

I want to learn how to play the piano

I want to take a pottery class

I want to play at paining (as in pictures, not walls)

Not all of that will happen this year, but I hope that some of it will.

One of the goals I can put into practice is to not rush my yoga practice, even when I feel time pressure to get other things done. By taking the time out for my daily practice, I come back to the page far more focused and productive, so it is not time lost, but time gained. And that’s the way I need to look at it, when I’m feeling deadline pressure – which is almost all the time.

25. Name one non-writing element in your life that gets in the way of your writing that you commit to giving up or limiting and, instead, devote that time to writing.

January: I became a news junkie leading up to last fall’s election. I need to cut back on that. Not only is it cutting into my writing time, it depresses me. We are responsible for knowing what’s going on in the world and taking the action to change it. Apathy = condonement. However, I don’t need to remain glued to the set for hours on end. I’d be better off making the world a better place through my writing.

GOALS FOR 2009:

Increased writing output and quality, in both longer and shorter projects

Landing a couple of regular, well-paying clients

Expand my marketing techniques and speaking engagements

Move

More efficient time managment

DREAMS FOR 2009:

Live in my own house with a garden

Travel more

Start either piano, pottery, or painting

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2009:

Take the needed time for yoga, fitness, and percolation time

Stay out of creating a 9-5 trap within the freelance world

Search for the kindness and the good in stressful situations; I feel I took a very negative turn in my outlook last year.

Spend more time in my private, handwritten journal

Because I wanted to write out detailed answers, I’m posting the answers to the first twelve questions today, and the remaining answers tomorrow, along with the list in each category.  The following day, I will post my To-Do List for January.

Feel free to comment on the post or post your own answers to the questions below. You are free to offer suggestions and feedback to each other’s comments, but please do so respectfully.

We are here to support each other, not judge each other.

1. Looking back on the previous year, without consulting your notes or the GDRS for it, what stands out in your memory as a met goal that makes you feel positive about the future?

January: The publication of HEX BREAKER and the launch of the Jain Lazarus Adventures. The characters and book received such a warm response, I feel as though I’m back on track with the fiction after flailing for awhile. I’m also thrilled that “The Merry’s Dalliance” was so warmly received by NEW MYTHS. And glad that Nina Bell is back, and, in many ways, better than ever.

2. What did you find you needed to release, because, as the year progressed, it no longer worked to struggle towards it as a goal?

January: The obsession with cracking a couple of specific markets; I don’t like to write what they publish, so why stress over it? Just because they pay well doesn’t mean I’m the right match for them. And I got better at saying “no” to ridiculously low-paying markets and not getting guilted back into working for them.

Also, I’m frustrated because I didn’t get the move accomplished. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, but, in this economy, it’s getting more and more difficult to pull it off. At the same time, I can’t stay where I am.

3. How has writing become more important in your life this past year?

January: Absolutely front and center. I made the bulk of my living from it. Not to say that I made a lot of money, but I did earn the bulk of my living from it and (barely) kept my head above water.

4. How do you plan to move it up on the priority list this year? List three specific steps to make your writing more of a priority.

January: It is the number one priority to me. What I need to do is find a way to manage my time better, and to utilize more creative marketing concepts to get my name to a wider audience.

My approach is to:

–dedicate specific blocks of time each week for marketing

–try to get more done in my initial writing session of the day

– on non-show days, add an additional writing session in the evening

5. In terms of a living wage, what do you need to adjust in your writing output in order to achieve your wage-earning goals?

January: Hustle and land a few more higher-paying gigs. Perhaps find a few regular clients instead of the majority of what I do (because I don’t want to be tied down) which are currently one-offs. Manage the time better so I can get the fiction out to the higher paying markets more quickly, and market more effectively what’s already out there. I don’t have theatre to fall back on this year, due to the combination of my writing commitments and the economy, so I’ve got to be smarter in the way I go after and land jobs.

6. Do you still hang on to the fallacy that if you love to write, you don’t “deserve” to be paid a decent wage for it? List three steps to move past this block.

January: I deserve to be paid what I’m worth. I need to hold that payment line harder.

7. What large projects do you want to start this year?

January:

THE SANDOVAL SECRET (the third Gwen and Justin book)

The third and fourth Jain Lazarus Adventures

Pick one or two of the novel-length ideas with which I’ve been playing and run with them

FEMME FATALE (play)

CHANNELING JIM MORRISON (play)

Maybe another Nina Bell piece

8. What projects from the previous year do you need to complete? (Either first drafts, revisions, query letters)

January:

ANGEL HUNT

THE BALTHAZAAR TREASURE (the second Gwen and Justin book)

The Big Project

The first Helena Francis Mystery

Keep the momentum going on The Penny’s Dreadfuls tales

EARTH BRIDE

If TRACKING MEDUSA doesn’t get picked up, next round of submissions for that

9. What mix of smaller projects do you want to get into the pipeline this year?

January:

Penny’s Dreadfuls stories

A few shorter ideas with which I’m playing

The magical realism stories I began in Jamieson Wolfe’s workshop last year.

10. How do you prioritize your projects? How do you shuffle them as your needs change?

January: When is the deadline? How much does it pay?

They get shuffled depending upon deadline, payment, and whatever idea catches fire. Sometimes, they need to be re-prioritized on a daily basis.

11. What is your querying goal for the year? (IE, how many queries per week/month would you like to send out)?

January: 3-5 freelance queries per week.

At least one batch of book queries per month ((I usually send those out in batches of ten), as soon as each book is ready for submission.

As many short story submissions as I can manage per month – hopefully at least 3 per month.

12. What new area/genre are you willing to expand into/experiment in this year?

January: I might go back and experiment in erotica a bit, if I can find ideas that interest me enough and markets that pay well enough for writing that needs to be that technical. On the non-fiction front, I want to write for more environmental and wildlife organizations.

The rest of the 2009 GDR questions will be answered tomorrow.

This week, into next week, you can post  in the comments your look back on 2008, where you’ve come, what you have and haven’t achieved, and what you’ve let go because it no longer fit your needs or your life.

AFTER the first of the year (probably on the 2nd, because I may not have access to the internet on the first), I set up the post for 2009’s goals, dreams, and resolutions, and, a day or two later, the post ofor the list for January.

I’ve struggled, looking back at my 2008 list from January.  My life took a very different turn than I expected it to take, and I rolled with it.  Hence, when I look at the list, I feel as though I failed in many areas.

The biggest drag on my energy and my biggest frustration is not having orchestrated the move this past year.  It simply couldn’t happen.  I want and need to move, but, especially in this economy, it’s even more complicated in the coming year.   Hopefully, with the new administration coming in, with a government leader who actually takes his responsibility to the people of this country seriously, rather than seeing it as a way to line his friends’ pockets, which is what we’ve lived under for the past eight years, things will improve.

On the positive side:

HEX BREAKER was published by FireDrakes Weyr publishing.

OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, the second Jain Lazarus adventure, was accepted, and will be published in Spring.

“The Possession of Nattie Filmore” released.

The Penny’s Dreadfuls website went up, and “The Ramsey CHase”, the very first Penny’s Dreadful and the very first Cornelia True/Roman Gray story released, with other stories to follow.

I have several manuscripts under consideration at an array of publishers.

A play of mine was accepted and will open in January.

Two more plays have been requested by the same company.

I continue to get steady work from both Confidential Job #1 and Confidential Job #2.

My freelance writing business has grown — not as fast or as far as I’d like, but it’s grown.

I walked away from several clients who were more trouble than they were worth, instead of sticking it out “just for the money”.  Trust me, the money wasn’t worth the aggravation.

I streteched my writing boundaries.

I’m in the midst of, if I can pull it off, could be the first step in a fascinating project (the one nicknamed The Big Project).

I started my first cozy mystery at the Muse Online Writers’ Conference (thanks, Kim).

I taught at the Muse Online Conference for the second consecutive year.  From that, I received another invitation to teach this coming February.

I researched several projects that excite me — but need a lot more research before they’re ready to write.

I learned a lot about the marketing/promotion side of the business.

The direction the writing life took this year is different than I expected, but at the same time, it’s getting me where I need and want to go in a better and more flexible way.

I did not achieve my goals of the house move or finding affordable health insurance, nor did I have the chance to indulge in anythign liek an art class or a pottery class.  But I did get to do a lot of interesting things, and I feel that my writing took a real leap over the course of the year.

I feel as though this year was about building a staircase — 2007 set a foundation, now I’m building walls and stairs and starting to construct the house of my writing life.

Feel free to post your own musings on the year below, and please join us shortly after the first of the year when we set out our goals, dreams, and resolutions for 2009 as a whole and what we hope to break down to achieve in January.

Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions for 2009

Note: For the past few years, a group of us have used these questions (GDRs) as a launch point for looking back at what we’ve done and mapping out a plan for the coming year. The questions should inspire you, not make you feel trapped. They can be transformed, added, subtracted, whatever works in your own personal plan.

I post the questions in Autumn. Anyone who wishes to post their answers on their own blogs usually posts the “looking back” portion, a wrap-up of the previous year’s questions, in December and the “looking forward” portion after January 1. Spending a few months rather than a few minutes on the questions helps focus on what you really want and need for your writing year.

Last year’s questions were more holistic and life-oriented. This year’s questions are more business-centric.

Lori, your post a few days ago lit the fire under my butt to get these done. Thank you.

Now, for the questions:

1. Looking back on the previous year, without consulting your notes or the GDRS for it, what stands out in your memory as a met goal that makes you feel positive about the future?

2. What did you find you needed to release, because, as the year progressed, it no longer worked to struggle towards it as a goal?

3. How has writing become more important in your life this past year?

4. How do you plan to move it up on the priority list this year? List three specific steps to make your writing more of a priority.

5. In terms of a living wage, what do you need to adjust in your writing output in order to achieve your wage-earning goals?

6. Do you still hang on to the fallacy that if you love to write, you don’t “deserve” to be paid a decent wage for it? List three steps to move past this block.

7. What large projects do you want to start this year?

8. What projects from the previous year do you need to complete? (Either first drafts, revisions, query letters)

9. What mix of smaller projects do you want to get into the pipeline this year?

10. How do you prioritize your projects? How do you shuffle them as your needs change?

11. What is your querying goal for the year? (IE, how many queries per week/month would you like to send out)?

12. What new area/genre are you willing to expand into/experiment in this year?

13. What is the greatest gift to your writing self you can give?

14. What do you need to renegotiate with other factions in your life to give yourself more writing time?

15. Decide on one writing risk for this year – be it a submission in a new genre, attending a conference, or trying something completely out of your comfort zone. Write about it, and set yourself a loose timeline to accomplish it.

16. What new and unique marketing arenas will you enter this year to promote both yourself and your work?

17. What do you need to do to enhance your self-esteem so you refer to yourself as “writer” FIRST when someone asks you to define yourself?

18. What kind of time commitment are you willing to make on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to support your writing?

19. What other elements needs to balance with your writing? What happens when you feel unbalanced?

20. What contract are you willing to make with yourself to prevent writing from falling farther down on your priority list when “life gets in the way”?

21. How do your writing goals for the year fit into your dreams for the future?

22. What resolutions do you make to integrate your writing and the rest of your life?

23. How do these goals fit into your three year plan? Your five year plan? Your ten year plan?

24. Name one new non-writing element you plan to introduce into your life (and that might give you something new about which to write).

25. Name one non-writing element in your life that gets in the way of your writing that you commit to giving up or limiting and, instead, devote that time to writing.