Happy New Year! Let's Review, Shall We?

Happy New Year!

2013 has dawned and it's time to begin anew.

It's all about time!
Writer's Wall Clock from CafePress.com

No, I'm not talking "New Year's Resolutions," but it's almost impossible not to get bit by the NYR Bug. It's everywhere. Commercials are bombarding us with diet plans, exercise plans, fitness club memberships, videos, and such. And your friends are probably asking about your NYRs as subtle, or not so subtle, segues into listing their own ambitious goals.

But here, at the dawning of a New Year, possibly seen through the fog of the old year's hangover, let's take a moment to pause, take a breath, and celebrate the year just past. We've completed twelve months of ups and downs and we should give ourselves credit where credit is due instead of just brushing it aside and rushing off.

Since this is my blog, I'll start. 2012 highlights included the sale of my novella, Collector's Item, my son, Carl's marriage to the lovely Erin, the passing of my furry companion, Lovejoy, corroboration with a wonderful group of women writers on a group blog, "Words, Women, Wisdom," VRW's For the Love of Writing Conference, JRW's Writers Conference, a successful NaNoWriMo, first trip to the Porches with the Porches Divas, good health, friendship and love—yeah!

That's enough about me.

Now it's your turn!

I'm A Winner!

Because I recognized my chances of adding much more to my NaNoWriMo opus were moot, I went ahead and cashed in my chips. I let their robo-counter tally my winning words and ShaZaam! I'm a Winner!

My NaNoWriMo novel is a fantasy--my spin on Beauty and the Beast, called Beau and the Beast. In my case, Beau is the "beauty" and my heroine, a shapechanger, is the Beast. (I'm still toying with trying to do a contemporary piece that I can title Beau and the Bitch--LOL--I'm officially staking my claim on that title) 

I ended up with 53,682 words. Oh, the story's not finished and it's far from Ready for Prime Time, but it's 53,000+ words strong and that's what mattered for this goal.

It's been great fun competing, er, writing with my friends and sharing all our woes and victories along the way. Online Sprints helped tremendously, but as my husband is quick to point out--None of this would have been possible without my vacation last week.

Good luck to all my NaNoWriMo buddies. May we all end the month with our badges and partying down at the TGIO Party, wherever that may be.

Oh, and my DoNoWriMo friends, I hope I can weasel in on that donut party.

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 11/26/12

Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Path? Path! I don't see no stinkin' path. I'm treadin' water over here.

Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.

Is it just me or is there something wrong with the construction of that fortune? I admit the right-hand end of it was torn off (not sure what happened) but I think the last two words are in the wrong order. So, I'm gonna run with it. I'd love to see what you think the Fortune Cookie Guru intended to write.

That said, I feel the snarky response is not far off the mark.

I've never been able to say I've clearly seen a path laid out for me. Probably just be me, but mostly I am playing it by ear here. There are certainly parts of life that seem mapped out (childhood/adolescence/adulthood, elementary/junior high/high school/college), but after a point, I feel that life becomes an interesting mixture of plans and leaps of faith.

I freely admit that sometimes I should have planned more, and other times I should have taken a flying leap, but mostly, I've tried to make the best of what life or "fate" has dumped, er, shafted, uh, assigned me. Just kidding with the negativity. (Mostly)

No, honestly, I've been very fortunate and I expressed my gratitude on my Thanksgiving blog over at Words, Women, Wisdom last week. So I'm not going to recap it here.

But in my humble opinion, today's fortune is more about perseverance than about blind obedience. If you select a goal and you truly invest in that goal, don't let yourself be distracted. But IF you get distracted or suffer a roadblock, cut yourself some slack and then get yourself back on track.

This is especially apropos my NaNo. I was so far behind at the midpoint it wasn't even worth discussing. I had made a formal commitment to my blog sisters in specific and the world in general to get those 50,000 words in 30 days and at the midpoint I was WAY below halfway. Thankfully, I didn't give up and equally thankfully (mostly due to poor planning on my part earlier this year), I had vacation to use or lose. Soooo, I used last week to make a serious dent in my NaNo goal. I put myself in my chair and I didn't get up except for essentials, and I did it. I caught myself up and then I kept at it until, when the dust cleared, I reached 50,000! Yeppers, I did it! And now, because the story isn't done, I'm pushing on to see just how far I can get before this Friday.

Wow, see what happens when I start with a poorly constructed fortune? I end up with a rambling blog post. So, life path clearly defined or not, I intend to persevere, one goal at a time. What about you?

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 11/19/12

Adventure is worthwhile in itself.

SNARKY RESPONSE: But it's the hit to your bank account that'll make or break you. There's the gear, the airline tickets, the insurance. Hey! Nothing comes for free.

Adventure is worthwhile in itself.

As I sit here planning my exit strategy for NaNoWriMo, I found this fortune insightful.

AND THIS ADVENTURE TRULY IS FREE, AND FREEING!

50,000 words in 30 days! It's an impressive amount of production. Not impossible as is proven by thousands of NaNoWriMo winners every year, but hard enough as proven by the countless near misses.

1,667 words a day is a more manageable view, especially if you're doing the work of a professional writer and writing every day. I've managed to do that in a couple of 45 minute sprints, not bragging per se, but just to show I know what's possible.

But the part we should, and most do, appreciate most is the act itself. The adventure of setting your sights on a goal, making a public commitment to that goal, and then pursuing it with all you're worth.

There's nothing so exciting as seeing those words fly up onto the screen or flow out your pen onto the page. The translation of thoughts into concrete words is a feat in itself. Not everyone can do it. How many times have you heard "I've always wanted to write a book." and then nothing? Writing a story is hard. And to do this while giving yourself permission to produce what will be for most, a "shitty" first draft, can get your pulse racing, believe me. Let's face it--while we all strive to produce the best writing possible, NO ONE writes deathless prose on their first draft. Or at least, no one I know. And having that freedom to just get it down, warts and all, without judgement? (In fact, there is a strict rule NO EDITING ALLOWED) That realization can set you free!

So, as I sit here with my less than stellar 2012 performance (to date - see my progress bar beside this post), I'm still excited. The sense of adventure is still there even though I acknowledge reaching my goal is in serious question. Doesn't matter, I'm in it, to win it or go down swinging!

I've still got words to write, a story to tell, and a goal to reach for. That's a truly worthwhile adventure indeed!

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 11/5/12

Your smile makes everyone realize that the world is a lovely and beautiful place.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Or at the least, they'll all be wondering what you've been up to! Someone cue up the "The Candy Man" song while the Fortune Cookie Guru indulges in a bit of gratuitous flattery.

Your smile makes everyone realize that the world is a lovely and beautiful place.

So, after Googling the saccharine laced hit I linked above, I also found this CandyMan song I'd never seen before, but it takes a whole different turn on the term--Christina Aguilera's Candyman video. Talk about smiling! I have to admit I'm a sucker for the nostalgia vibe and the boogie-woogie close harmonies of the faux girl trio (Andrew Sisters-style), though Christina's lyrics and dance moves are very "modern."

Returning to the matter at hand, today is Day 5 of NaNoWriMo and all the good NaNo'ers are at or approaching 8,335 words. Sadly, I'm way off that mark, but I intend to try and bring myself up to snuff by some serious word-crunching over the next week.

NaNoWriMo is a wonderful way to get writers to put their money where their mouths are. Instead of just saying they're "going" to write a book, they Do It! 50,000 contiguous words take any opus from the realm of short story/vignette into the category of "book." And managing to do that feat in 30 days takes you from "all talk" to can "walk the walk!"

So, here's to the intrepid Writers of November - keep writing and smiling!

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 10/29/12

LET SOMEONE KNOW HOW SPECIAL THEY ARE TO YOU

SNARKY RESPONSE:  Awww, I didn't realize Hallmark owned stock in fortune cookie companies. You know, they've got a card for that!

Let someone know how special they are to you.

It's amazing how many people touch our lives and how those touches, no matter how small, contribute to our experience. Don't miss any opportunity to let folks know how much you appreciate them. It makes them feel good and it makes you feel good. Win/Win

So, here's my attempt to do just that - say a little "Thank You" to some of the folks who have helped my along my writing path!

JRW Contingent & Local NaNoWriMo Liaison

As an aspiring writer, I was fortunate to become involved in several wonderful groups which led to friendships that have become stronger with time.  As a member of the James River Writers, I've met (and continue to meet) such a wonderful diverse group. Some of them were at the NaNoWriMo Kick Off Party last night and posed for a little group shot.

My W3 Avatar

Virginia Romance Writers has brought me into contact with a great group of women. In fact, I've joined with seven of them to create a fun group blog entitled, Words, Women, Wisdom (W3 for short). You can visit us through the link. We're a diverse group of writers and I think we offer something for everyone. Please drop in and then come back to visit, often!

Most influential on my growth as a writer have been the two critique groups I was blessed to find and join - RichWriters and Writers Endeavor. These two groups have done more to help nurture my craft and my confidence in my writing than I can every repay. The members, ranging from aspiring to published, non-fiction to popular fiction, have given so freely of their time and thoughtful consideration and I never fail to thank my lucky stars for every one of them.

This is FAR from a complete list and I hope those I didn't include in this post will understand. It would take pages and pages, but these are the ones I felt driven to THANK today.

As John Donne said, no (wo)man is an island and for me, this is my opportunity to show exactly how true that has been for me.

Now I encourage you to take a moment to recognize and thank those who have helped you along your path. None of us can do this alone.