***
2009 has been a year that's gone by incredibly fast for me. Unbelievably fast. I've been wondering where it's gone, puzzled by how each month has just disappeared. If I was the type of person to actually set goals, I'm not sure if I'd have accomplished them or not. That's just how time disappeared on me.
I survived depression and illness, though nothing was ever too bad. It just felt like it at the time. It affected my writing, but enough good things happened anyway that I can't consider it a detriment.
Absolute Write has been a fantastic place to hang out. I've made acquaintances with some really nifty people. I've learned a lot about writing, and recognized flaws in my own work that I wouldn't have otherwise. I still don't really put my stuff up for critiquing, though reading other posts has taught me.
Because CR Ward has her own serial blog, I decided to do that too. It's an interesting challenge that I'm having a lot of fun with. It's something I can always fall back on when I'm just feeling dried up of ideas.
This year was also when I started submitting my novel, All Hallows Blood, way back in March. I'm not a patient person, so while time was flying, it always felt like I should have had a response back from the publisher. But only a few weeks had passed, out of a listed 12 week wait time. Blech!
Half the year was easily taken up between waiting for two publishers. I knew responses could take a while, but I'd never actually conceptualized it, understood quite what it meant. I had to just mark the submission date on my calendar, and try to forget about it. I was driving myself crazy otherwise.
Two declines, one complete lack of answer, and I was a little depressed, but I was determined to go on. I had my nominal sister-in-law read through my manuscript, and from her suggestions, I went on a massive re-write. Probably a third of a 76k word manuscript was redone. It was fun, and shocking to see all the little things I'd done wrong. Like filtering my characters senses, rather than bringing the reader right in. And overuse of a few descriptors. And too much wussiness.
So, with a re-polished manuscript, I sent it in to Crescent Moon Press, and expected the response to take all the way to the end of their listed response time. Instead, two days later, I got an email requesting the first chapter, and then an offer two days after that.
In the span of one week, on my fourth submission, I landed the awesome Published Author. I'm still ecstatic, and that was a month ago.
On top of getting published, I finished and started polishing the second book in my series, and I finished the first draft of the third book. I ground out the third book's draft in probably six weeks, because I really liked the darkness and fun I got to have with my character. Haven't even started those rewrites.
Well, instead of a concise wrap-up of 2009, I rambled on about my success story. It's still in my mind, and one of the best things about this year. I hope everyone had a memorable 2009, and that 2010 is an even better year.
Don't forget to stop by Ralph Pines, who just so happens to be up next.
***
2009 has been a year that's gone by incredibly fast for me. Unbelievably fast. I've been wondering where it's gone, puzzled by how each month has just disappeared. If I was the type of person to actually set goals, I'm not sure if I'd have accomplished them or not. That's just how time disappeared on me.
I survived depression and illness, though nothing was ever too bad. It just felt like it at the time. It affected my writing, but enough good things happened anyway that I can't consider it a detriment.
Absolute Write has been a fantastic place to hang out. I've made acquaintances with some really nifty people. I've learned a lot about writing, and recognized flaws in my own work that I wouldn't have otherwise. I still don't really put my stuff up for critiquing, though reading other posts has taught me.
Because CR Ward has her own serial blog, I decided to do that too. It's an interesting challenge that I'm having a lot of fun with. It's something I can always fall back on when I'm just feeling dried up of ideas.
This year was also when I started submitting my novel, All Hallows Blood, way back in March. I'm not a patient person, so while time was flying, it always felt like I should have had a response back from the publisher. But only a few weeks had passed, out of a listed 12 week wait time. Blech!
Half the year was easily taken up between waiting for two publishers. I knew responses could take a while, but I'd never actually conceptualized it, understood quite what it meant. I had to just mark the submission date on my calendar, and try to forget about it. I was driving myself crazy otherwise.
Two declines, one complete lack of answer, and I was a little depressed, but I was determined to go on. I had my nominal sister-in-law read through my manuscript, and from her suggestions, I went on a massive re-write. Probably a third of a 76k word manuscript was redone. It was fun, and shocking to see all the little things I'd done wrong. Like filtering my characters senses, rather than bringing the reader right in. And overuse of a few descriptors. And too much wussiness.
So, with a re-polished manuscript, I sent it in to Crescent Moon Press, and expected the response to take all the way to the end of their listed response time. Instead, two days later, I got an email requesting the first chapter, and then an offer two days after that.
In the span of one week, on my fourth submission, I landed the awesome Published Author. I'm still ecstatic, and that was a month ago.
On top of getting published, I finished and started polishing the second book in my series, and I finished the first draft of the third book. I ground out the third book's draft in probably six weeks, because I really liked the darkness and fun I got to have with my character. Haven't even started those rewrites.
Well, instead of a concise wrap-up of 2009, I rambled on about my success story. It's still in my mind, and one of the best things about this year. I hope everyone had a memorable 2009, and that 2010 is an even better year.
Don't forget to stop by Ralph Pines, who just so happens to be up next.
***
Looky looky, the usual suspects:
Lost Wanderer - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/
coryleslie - http://corrinejackson.wordpress.com/
bsolah - http://benjaminsolah.com/blog
DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/
RavenCorinnCarluk - http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com/
shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com
Lady Cat - http://www.randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com
truelyana - http://expressiveworld.com
misaditas - http://misaditas-novels.blogspot.com/
collectonian - http://collectonian.livejournal.com
laharrison - http://lesleyharrison.wordpress.com/
beawhiz - http://beawrites.wordpress.com
razibahmed - http://www.blogging37.com
FreshHell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com
AlissaC - http://alissacarleton.blogspot.com
Aimee - http://writing.aimeelaine.com
