Accomplishments and Resolutions

Another year has come and gone.

I stopped making resolutions, because I usually don't keep them and then I am disappointed - again.

I keep writing, even though there have been times I have considered quitting.

My goal is to keep going forward. Learning and growing.

I did self-publish a book last year. It is far from being a best seller, but I feel it is a good book, and I am proud of it. It would have been a tough sell to a regular publisher, being the type of book it was, so I self published it.

It is a good book for kids. You can go here, to my author page, and read these wonderful testimonials. It is a great book for kids to get out when they are home from school because of snow days. They can read the stories, articles or poems, or do the activities. The articles are very informative and fun! Feel free to click on the link in my sidebar and go to Amazon and check it out.

I also placed three times (2nd place, 1st HM and 3rd HM) in the children's category of the 2014 WVWriter's Spring Writing Competition.

And, I continue to write a children's column in the regional magazine, Two Lane Livin.'

I know these are little accomplishments compared to getting published by a regular publisher, but these are the accomplishments that keep me going - and that I am proud of.

My goals are to eventually find a home for one or more of my babies. That's what I call my manuscripts. I gave birth to them and have watched them grow. Hopefully, I will some day watch them go out into the world.

What are your accomplishments and goals?
What keeps you going?

2012 Writing Accomplishments

I am sitting here trying to think of what I have accomplished with my writing in 2012.
Below is my short list (in no particular order)

 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

I wrote a children's column each month for Two-Lane Livin' Magazine.
I joined an online PB critique group in March.
One of my stories that I submitted on the Rate Your Story site rated a #2!
 I attended the WVWriter's Conference in June.
One of my MG manuscripts came in 2nd HM in their annual writing contest in the children's category.
 I had an article published in our local newspaper, The Jackson Herald.
I participated in Cynthea Liu's Red Light Green Light. I actually received a green light a couple of times.
 I got brave and attended Open Mic sessions at our local library.
I won first place in our Library's Appalachian Writing contest last fall.
I participated in PiBoIdMo in November and came up with 30 picture book ideas.

I started and finished writing my second MG manuscript!

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR:

Get more organized.
Have a publisher pick up one of my PBs or my MG novel!
Research how to do an e-book. I have written an informative book that I want to put in e-book form.
Improve my craft and . . .
write more manuscripts!

How about you? Want to tell us about your accomplishments or goals?

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
 

New Year's Writing Wishes

Okay, it is almost New Year's Day.
Have you met your goals for this year?
Do you have goals set for next year?

There is a New Year's superstition about work.

Make sure to do - and be successful at - something related to your work on the first day of the year. But limit your activity to a token amount, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is unlucky.

So get most of your writing and editing done today :o) Do a few touches to your story tomorrow, then rest and enjoy the day!

If you are interested in other New Year's superstitions, visit my other blog and read all about it.


What have you been up to lately?

I have been working very, very hard on my MG manuscript.

I so, so hope I will get somewhere with this story. But I have to do more than hope. It takes a lot of hard work, patience and perseverance. And I have to be willing to listen to comments and suggestions to improve my work.  I am trying to do that, but sometimes it is hard to see your words as other people see them.

Some people believe you write something once and that is it. Believe me, there is always room for improvement no matter how good you think it is. Let other eyes see it and get other people's opinions. But, others may not always be right. Unless more than one critiquer agrees that something is wrong, and you feel it is right, then I say stick to your guns and go with your gut.

Do not think that it is not your story if other people give you input?

Wrong. It will still be your idea, your words and your work! 

Do not let your pride get in the way of accepting help from others. And do not just get input from your friends and family. They may sometimes not want to hurt your feelings.

I do not know why I got on this little bandwagon about writing. I just wish and want the best for all of us in our writing endeavors. Sometimes only one word, one paragraph, one rhyme or one thought can make the difference in a story or poem.

Have you made any writing goals for this year?

Here is wishing you . . . and me a very Happy, and fullfilling, 'writing' New Year!

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch
 

 

Writing Goals

Have you been keeping your writing goals this year?

If you noticed, I've put on the side bar of my blog what I've done so far in January and February of this year.

I have kept my first goal of sending out at least one story a month to publishers.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I got an email today asking for the full manuscript of my story The Family Secret. The editor was very interested.

This is a first for me and I am very excited.

So, it's like I've always said, and told myself many times, our stories aren't going to get considered by publishers if they remain on our hard drive and we don't send them out.

So get out your manuscripts from the deep recesses of your computer and submit. What have you got to lose?

This weekend will be a good time to stay in out of the cold and write, another snow storm is on the way.

Writing Goals

My writing goals are:

1. I want to be published. I want to see my name after an article, column, book etc.
I guess you could say I've accomplished this because the anthology with my story in it is going to be published in September. I also had an article published in our Sunday Gazette a few weeks ago.

2. I want to have one of my children's stories published.
This is my dream and I have not accomplished this yet. I have some PBs that I really feel strong about and a couple of MGs that I love. I'm still editing one of them, though, and the other has been out to a publisher since March and I haven't heard anything from them yet. I need to take time out from writing and submit my PBs. It is so time consuming to look up and find the right publishers that will accept unagented material that I keep putting it off. And you know, nothing will happen to your stories if they are in your computer's hard drive or on your desk. They will only gather dust.

3. I would like to get a personal rejection letter. It may sound funny that my goal is a rejection letter, but I am tired of getting those form letters or notes with not so much as a signature on them. It would be nice to get a personal one with words of encouragement scribbled on it.

4. I would like to be called a writer. Most people don't think of you as a writer unless you have been published and unless you are getting paid for your writing.

5. I understand that in the beginning you may have to write for little or no compensation. That is OK, it will give you the experience you need and it will give you (hopefully) a following and name recognition. But eventually my goal is to get paid for my writing.

It seems like most of my goals center around getting published. But that is my dream. And it would be nice to get paid for it, also. I know I will not get rich from writing, but I would like to make some money.

I have decided that until my children's writing takes off I will also try to do other things, like sending in articles to newspapers and/or magazines. Writing short stories for anthologies, entering contests (which I have already been doing) and any other writing endeavor I can think of.

I have decided that you have to go after what you want. You can't just sit there and expect good things to come to you. You have to get brave (which is hard for me to do) and submit, pitch your ideas and write, write and write. You are not a failure, unless you don't try. If you get rejected or your ideas get put down, you have to get back up and start again.

What are your goals? Have you already met some of your goals?

Do any of you have suggestions on getting your feet wet in the writing world? I'd love to hear your comments and ideas.