Happy New Year...ahem...Tomorrow, Anyway

Okay, so I know it's a little early to say Happy New Year, but I'll be busy tomorrow, so you get it today.  Plus, I was part of engineering the end of the world on the 21st, so I figured I'd make up for it by ushering in 2013.  You do know, of course, that there is an apocalypse predicted to happen before tomorrow, right?  Wait, this blog isn't just about apocalypses...

Anywho, speaking of the new year, I don't really do resolutions, but I can't help but look at past goals and see where I am with them, and what I'd like to accomplish in the next year.  So I guess I sort of do resolutions, but not in the same sense as some?

As part of this, and before I mention next year's goals, I thought I'd revisit my Project 52 goals.  You can't see that tab right now, because I can't get the darned tabs/pages to wrap around and make a second row, so I can only have a couple visible at a time.  But, I will pass along what else I've achieved recently and the total numbers of finished goals.

13. Complete skinwalker short story
22. Journal
25. Write 1000 words daily for a week (excluding weekends) (did this one, INCLUDING weekends, yeah, baby!)
37. Don't forget to enjoy writing - if something becomes no fun, take a break and try something new (while this was meant more as a reminder, I've done it!  I haven't hated writing or felt pressured to do it so much as before)

I have some that were partially finished, but I decided they couldn't be listed.  Darn it.

So, my total for the year of finished over total was: 19/52

Yikes!  But I tell you what, I look at some of those goals now and go...meh.  And I accomplished things I hadn't listed, such as several more short stories, a couple submissions, presented workshops at two different events, booked at least one more for next year, and doing my very first blog hop that wasn't someone else's idea!  So, guess what?  I'm good with what I've accomplished this year.

For next year, I'll be updating my Project 52 list, and I hope to try to keep some track of books I read.  I'd also like to try to submit something each month, whether that be a short story, flash fiction, an article, a poem or a photograph  (or, by all means, a novel).  For my Project 52 list, I will be putting non-writing related goals on it this time, as last year I padded it with things I didn't necessarily really want to do, which is no way to create goals.  If I don't care about them, or they don't make sense for this year, what's the point?  So I'll look at modifying that, OR I'll reduce the number of goals I have to begin with, and simply add things as I go along.  A year is a long time, though sometimes it doesn't feel like it, and I know that my goals and ideals changed throughout the year in 2012, mutating as things progressed, and I came up with plenty of new goals that never found their way onto the list, but would have been crossed off had I done so.

Despite that, this year was a rather amazing year, and one I'll never forget, for many reasons.  I learned a lot, stretched myself outside my comfort levels on multiple occasions, became a part of some new things (another element of putting myself out of my comfort levels), took on some big jobs, and changed the way I saw certain things.  I survived the Waldo Canyon Fire.  I successfully took my kids on adventures this summer.  I started volunteering at the school.  

It has, overall, been a good year.

And for that, I'm thankful.

Have a wonderful 2013, everyone!

What are your goals or resolutions?  Did you achieve any of what you hoped to over the last year?  

May you find your Muse.

Odds & Ends, Updates & Invitation to Guest Post

Hello there!  Today will be a bit of a mishmash, instead of anything themed, but there are some things I wanted to mention, and I've got some catching up to do (still).

Guest Posts - I've been getting a lot of contact about guest posts.  I'm delighted to feature guest posts or do interviews (those will take longer to get up since they take time to do, at least how I do it).  However, any guest posts on my blog need to involve writing or be related to one's book, as my intent is to help fellow writers out.  Guest posts will typically go up on Fridays.  If you'd like to guest post, or would like to do an interview about your book/writing process/etc., contact me through my profile or post in the comments at any time. 

Randy Lindsay Featured Me! - I was so flattered to see that Randy Lindsay of Author in Training featured The Warrior Muse on his Friday post.  Check out his blog and show him a little love.  He posts a writing prod (with his response to it), features other blogs, and does movie reviews.  He's a great guy, and well worth checking out.

BuNoWriMo - Sigh.  I never got past 5% progress on Myth Stalker.  However, I'm happy because it got me started on writing it.  I was already behind on it, but the fire sort of did me in.  Not so much the evacuation, mind you, but I was so distracted and nervous once it started so close to me that I failed to get any writing done at all.  I spent a lot of time refreshing Twitter to track #WaldoCanyonFire, as well as the local paper's site, which was updating regularly, and Facebook, where I was getting information.  If I was on the computer, that's what I was doing.  I am looking forward to getting started again, AND I made progress with...

Project 52 - I did a little bit of work toward the list, so I can now strike out:

7. Work on poetry
8. Submit at least 1 poem for publication
16. Develop Warrior Muse logo (Jeremy did this one for me, but it's done, all the same!)
19. Compile spreadsheet of publications
33. Go hiking at Red Rocks/photos
36. Get at least 1 piece published (more details to come soon!)
38. Prepare for the 2012 A to Z (obviously done!)
44. Take four "field trips" this year (we've been taking these almost weekly)
50. Attend more writer's meetings
51. Get better about reading through Writer's Digest magazines when they arrive

Wow!  I didn't realize how many I'd finished.  15/52.  I may be updating a few things, due to projects that have changed, or a change in focus.  Anything removed will be replaced by something else.

Michael Abayomi - Fellow blogger, Michael Abayomi is conducting an Indiegogo campaign to gather funds for his next project Guardians & the Lost Paradise.  Pass it along, if you're interested.  Good luck, Michael!

That's it for today!  I will have a choice between two field trips I took this week for [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday: Helen Hunt Falls and the Royal Gorge Bridge.  I haven't decided which will go up this week, and which next week, but I'm excited to have something positive to pass along...and purdy.

How did you do in BuNoWriMo?  Interested in guest posting?  Are you doing, or have you done, Project 52?  How are you doing at meeting any goals you've made for yourself, now that we're more than halfway through the year?

May you find your Muse.

Project 52 Update, Open Anthologies, Community Websites

It has been an overwhelming week, so the links are a bit sparse today, but I do have a couple. First, though, how about a Project 52 update?

I can now cross out:
20. Make query/submission spreadsheet
28. Organize and edit scenic photos

I can technically cross this one out:
34. Submit 1 photo to a contest/publication

But I'm not going to. I had two photos in a paper and they credited them as Courtesy Photos instead of putting my name in. By the time I discovered it, it was too late to do anything about it, though I imagine if I fought I could make it happen. They were not scenic photos like I enjoy taking, but were of people, and I don't feel like they were very good, so I'm letting this one slide in order to not ruin a specific relationship (so yes, I have my reasons, but I'm still not necessarily happy about the situation). I am going to take this as a learning experience and go from there.

On a positive note, I was delighted to see that I officially have 400 followers as of this evening! So cool! I appreciate each and every one. I'm thinking it's time to start planning a giveaway when I reach 500 followers.

And now...the links:

Writers Unite is a writer's community I heard about this week. I have not yet joined, nor have I checked it out in-depth. However, it sounds interesting, so I'm passing it along, as it never hurts to find a supportive community, especially in such a solitary pursuit as writing.

The Denver Women's Press Club is running their Unknown Writer's Contest. You must be a Colorado resident (both men and women can enter) and you cannot have been paid for published work before.

Renee Rongen is accepting submissions for an anthology on the spirit of a woman. I do not believe you have to be a women to enter this, just to follow the theme of "What is the Spirit of a Woman?" Though it is not reflected on the webpage, the deadline has been extended to February 18.

I came across a second online community, this one called the WAE Network (or Writers, Agents, Editors). I did sign up to look at a pitch fest they are having, but didn't find much information on it. I haven't explored the site further (NO TIME!!). I like their cute little characters at the top of the page (featureless except for sneakers and socks).

And here are the weekly reminders:

The Pen Women Flash Fiction contest is ongoing. You can find more information on the Flash Fictiontab at the top of this blog. The theme is Are you Devious at Heart?

The A-to-Z Challenge is up to 430 sign-ups as of the writing of this post! You can sign up on the A-to-Z Info and Sign-up tab at the top of this blog.

Pikes Peak Writers is still accepting submissions (unpaid) for an anthology, to benefit their scholarship program. The theme is Moving Mountains.

And, of course, the Pikes Peak Writers Conference is open for sign-ups, and has scholarships available for those who need help with the fee. The sooner you sign up, the more likely you are to get a pitch session and/or a Read & Critique session. I'll be doing some volunteering, including in the pitch room, and I'd love to have an introduction to any of you who might be attending, as well.

That's it for today, everyone. Have a wonderful weekend! I hope to see you back here on Monday for the final portion of the Write Brain notes on New Models in Publishing, where I'll discuss information from DeAnna Knippling on e-publishing. You don't want to miss it!

Any helpful links to pass along? Are you familiar with any of the websites mentioned?

May you find your Muse.

New Year, New Goals!

This year has been a good one, but I have not achieved much of what I'd hoped. I'd thought it would be easier to get time to write with my daughter in preschool for half days, but all that did was create one more reason I had to be out of the house for a couple hours each day. That, paired with other issues, insured I never managed to establish a routine for my writing, which is what got me through 2010 with a novel written.

That being said, I'm bound and determined to do better this year. I'm not one to set New Year's resolutions, but I have no problem with setting goals for the year to come.

It's been awhile since I posted a Project 52 update, so I figured I'd post my update, then add goals for the new year to fill it back up to 52 goals for 2012.

I finished:

13. Prepare flash fiction contest. (See HERE for more information on the contest).

21. Find old floppies with saved writing. (This is not technically completed, but is being removed, as I have discovered said floppies appear to be gone forever).

25. Check out RMFW and consider membership. (I have checked it out and do intend to become a member)>

27. Make blog tabs for resources, prompts, publications. (I made the tabs for what I wanted for the time being).

37. Research non-fiction book. (I'm removing this, because I've lost my enthusiasm for this particular project, but am considering another).

38. Start Scrivener file and introduction for non-fiction book. (Removing for the same reason as 37).

46. Post a weekly photo through the end of the year. (Accomplished, yay!)

50. Discover at least 1 new blog per week. (Done, and then some, yay!)

With these removed, I now have a list of 37. Considering I started the journey fairly late into the year, I'm satisfied with that completion rate, especially as some of those still on the list are partially, if not mostly, completed.

Courtesy clker.com

The rest of my list is as follows:

38. Prepare for the 2012 A to Z.
39. Contact publications about flash fiction contest.
40. Submit at least one flash fiction piece for publication.
41. Spend less time on the computer (unless writing).
42. Try hand at travel writing.
43. Submit one travel writing piece for publication.
44. Take four "field trips" this year.
45. Read at least two books on writing.
46. Establish writing routine through beginning of summer.
47. Join Friends of PPLD and RMFW.
48. Register for Pikes Peak Writers Conference.
49. Finish listening to writer's workshop materials.
50. Attend more writer's meetings.
51. Get better about reading through Writer's Digest magazines when they arrive.
52. Write at least five How-to articles for Helium.

What are your goals for the year?

May you find your Muse.

Author U BookCamp, Project 52 and Goal Setting

Today I'd like to quickly pass on some information on the Author U BookCamp. This is an online workshop intended to teach you how to launch your book online. It includes things like book blog tours, Kindle/nook links and customizing campaigns. Sounds like it could be quite valuable for someone about to launch their new book. I know that I was amazed by Beth Groundwater's book blog tour schedule, and that it made me wonder how one sets something like that up, to begin with. Here are the answers! There is a cost for this workshop, so check out the link HERE for more information.

While I'm here, I may as well update Project 52 and my progress.

Unfortunately, for soooo many reasons, I have not gotten much accomplished with editing and writing. I go to bed each night completely determined to wake up and get back to it, and it never ends up working out in the morning. Rawr. I did, however, get some more New Never News articles written up, so I am submitting those tonight. As such, I get to scratch out:

40. Write more New Never News articles

I didn't give myself a number I had to write, so this is good enough to mark something off. Anything scratched off is incentive to get more done. I don't know about you, but accomplishing anything from a list helps me to leap forward.

I'm tempted to write daily goals/to-do's on here just to get my butt moving. Instead, for now, I will make myself a major goal for November (since I have no intention of doing NaNoWriMo) and work toward that goal. It's time to get things done. Now to figure out what that goal will be.

Here's some miniature goal setting, in the meantime:

Today I will work in my office for an hour, minimum. What I'm working on is up in the air. Just getting my butt down there will be more than I've done in about two weeks.

This week, I will work on a short story. All the better if I finish the first draft.

This month, I will edit at least five chapters of Lonely Hollow: Synthesis.

How's that for a few mini goals to get myself back in the driver's seat?

How do you do goal setting? What's your goal for the day/week/month?

May you find your Muse. I hope it isn't hiding with mine.

Do Writers a Favor--Review!

I don't do reviews on the blog, but I've repeatedly seen pleas by authors to review their books. Though I still have no intention to do reviews on here (the closest I'll get is Teaser Tuesdays), I did break out of my comfort zone to do a couple reviews on Amazon the other day. I have yet to do them on Goodreads, as I don't really go on there ever, but I will try to do so in the near future.

Indie and new authors need these reviews the most, in my opinion. Go to the page of an established author's book and you will find many reviews. Go to a new author's page and you may find zero reviews. Which one are you more likely to purchase?

In an age where more purchases are being made online, hearing what other people thought about the book is getting more important. If I can't skim through the book, having an array of reviews is incredibly helpful. Yes, Amazon offers the ability to look at random pages, and that's great, but it's not the same as being able to flip wherever you please (and I understand why they can't offer that ability, of course).

Blurbs on the back of a book can only give you so much of an idea about its contents. Reviews can offer a little more insight. Even before the digital age, word of mouth was an important selling point. Help a writer out and review their book, whether on your blog, Goodreads, Amazon or some other forum. They'll appreciate it!

Now for a quick Project 52 update!

My internet was down for hours the other day. Hours! Gasp! Had I not been in the midst of dying from some virus, I could have gotten far more done. However, I did take advantage of my social black hole to finally, FINALLY, transfer some short stories onto the computer. I learned that I need to take care to write legibly, as there were some parts it was a struggle to read. Whoops! That's alright, my handwriting is why everyone thought I'd be a doctor when I grew up. Showed them!

I've also done a considerable amount of research for the flash fiction contest I'm chairing, so I'm crossing that out to keep myself moving forward. I just need to compile some of the information to present to my Pen Women group in October and hash out the final rules. Then I can get it out there, and I really hope to see a bunch of entries from my fellow bloggers!

Lastly, I got a bunch of old photos scanned to disk. Now that I've started, it should be easier to continue. Crossing that one off my list, too! Woo-hoo!

What do you think about book reviews? If you're a published author, how do you find them helpful? If you do reviews, where do you do them?

May you find your Muse.

Project 52 & a Call for Information

Before I go into Project 52, I wanted to put out a call for information. I'd like to have a tab for fellow bloggers with books being released. I'm also considering a tab to house sites that provide some sort of daily writing prompt, challenge or similar offer. If you have any recommendations or a book/author you'd like listed, please post that information in comments or email it to me via the email in my profile (hint: it is my full blog name with no spaces at gmail).

Jennee and Karen put together something called Project 52, where you set 52 goals (one for each week, I believe) and cross them out as you go. You can sign up through the end of 2011. Seeing as how part of my reason for this blog is to keep myself accountable in working toward my goal of publication, I thought I would participate, but all of my goals would have something to do with my writing career (or my photography hobby). Below is my list of 52 goals, and I will try to update where I am (in brief) each week.

Project 52:
1. Write daily. Anything.
2. Finish editing Lonely Hollow
3. Finish writing Scorpio project
4. Pick title for Scorpio project
5. Transfer short stories to computer
6. Submit at least 1 horror short story for publication
7. Submit at least 1 fantasy short story for publication
8. Work on poetry
9. Submit at least 1 poem for publication
10. Edit children's stories
11. Submit at least 1 children's story for publication
12. Research flash fiction sites for contest
13. Prepare flash fiction contest
14. Establish character of Samara
15. Integrate new scenes into Lonely Hollow
16. Complete skinwalker short story
17. Complete Phantasmagoric Pumpkin Eaters
18. Try sketching characters with no appearance match
19. Develop Warrior Muse logo
20. Complete A to Z followup challenge
21. Find old floppies with saved writing
22. Compile old story ideas and tidbits into one place
23. Compile spreadsheet of publications
24. Make query/submission spreadsheet
25. Check out RMFW and consider membership
26. Complete work on Pen Women scholarship and distribute information
27. Make blog tabs for resources, prompts, publications
28. Write to a prompt weekly
29. Journal
30. Photo class
31. Reorganize office
32. Edit L wedding photos
33. Write 1000 words daily for a week (excluding weekends)
34. Write 1000 words daily for a month (excluding weekends)
35. Work on journaling with kids
36. Organize and edit scenic photos
37. Research non-fiction book
38. Start Scrivener file and introduction for non-fiction book
39. Frame chosen scenic pics
40. Write more New Never News articles
41. Query completed manuscript (once completed)
42. Take at least 1 photo every day for a month (work on photography)
43. Visit Project 52 participants
44. Go hiking at Red Rocks/photos
45. Explore a new area at Garden of the Gods/photos
46. Post a weekly photo through the end of the year
47. Submit 1 photo to a contest/publication
48. Start scanning old photos to disk
49. Work out better blogging/visiting schedule
50. Discover at least 1 new blog per week
51. Get at least 1 piece published
52. Don't forget to enjoy writing - if something becomes no fun, take a break and try something new

Would something like Project 52 help you to accomplish your goals? Can you think of 52?

May you find your muse.