Old Year New Year

This year, I've gathered my first few rejections from professional markets.

Next year I hope to (1) sell something and (2) have a novel that's worth sending out, rather than the short I'm shopping around at the moment.

This year, I picked up the novel that had been lying dormant for a year and got back to work on it.
This year, I developed a discipline for writing every day.
This year, I took off the 13 pounds I'd gained writing the first 250 pages of novel.

Next year, I want to send a finished manuscript out into the world, and start writing my second novel. The characters are already waltzing in the back room of my mind.

Congratulations to everybody who accomplished some goal this year, and may next year bring more good things your way...

SusanR

This year, I gave myself permission to stop writing and submitting short stories and to start doing what I really want to do -- write novels. I finished the first draft of attempt 06 -- the first time I reached "The End." Although I don't think that 06 can ever really be gotten into publishable shape, I'm very proud of myself for finishing one! And I started 07.

My goals for next year are to get my outline for 07 done by end end of January; get the first few chapters written and polished so I can submit them to try to get into a workshop; and whether or not I get into the workshop, to finish 07--first, second, third drafts, whatever is required--and start getting the thing out to agents by this time next year.

Also: Start 08!

Happy holidays to everyone on the boards, and best of luck to all of you in meeting all your goals. Here's to the dream!

This year I was a complete slug as far as my writing career goes, but it was eventful as the year we finally purchased our own home, got a dog, got a new car, started a new job, spent a few days in the hospital...

I'm just getting started. This year:

1. I wrote a nonfiction book on cars which is now as far as its second draft.

2. I had a small magazine make an offer on an article - actually, one based on an excerpt of the book. Unfortunately, the magazine went under before they could send me a contract.

This year, my goals are:

1. Put the finishing touches on my manuscript and find a publisher for it - or a reputable agent.
2. Start writing one more nonfiction book and a novel or two.
3. Pitch every one of the articles on my to-pitch list to various magazines.

This year I finished my first and second novel and, boy howdy, I got my first rejection.

Next year I will do rewrites on novels one and two, write novel number three and garner many, many rejections.

Hmmmm..

Books published : 1
Books written: 2 1/2 - one of which is doing the query dance with agents and my publisher, the other is the second to that, the third isn't done.
Short stories/essays published - 3 (2 actually done this year, one will be out in January)
Short stories accepted but not yet published - 1 ( I differentiate this one, b/c there's no set pub date yet for this anthology.)

Rejections garnered - 4

Goals for next year

Finish current WIP
Sign a publishing OR agent contract (preferably both) for current finished book
Probably write a few more short stories
Write book 3 for series, once book one is sold. If not, start another book from a different trilogy I have in my head.

collect royalty checks.

2005 was my most productive year yet. I completed the novel I'd been working on for quite some time and did NaNo twice.

In 2006 I will find an agent mad enough to take me on...and a six figure contract with HarperCollins

I can give you a six finger contact, Scarlet. Oh...you said six figure contract Sorry...can't help you there.

I have had a great year with my poetry.

Next year, I want to have a great year with my fiction.

No more, no less.

This year I:

1. Fell Off the Wagon
2. Fell in and out of love numerous times
3. Wrote more short stories than I ever have in a year
4. Short stories written failed to amount to the novel I wrote in '04 in a matter of months
5. Decided to try the darnest I could to leave the service industry (yet fail again)
6. Decided to go back to college

Next Year I:
1. Will attend a university that I don't want to attend but have little option left if I want an undergrad before I turn 30
2. WILL GET OUT OF THE SERVICE INDUSTRY
3. Pull together my life and my writing to create the novel I have had burning forever The Short Stories of Carter Cole
4. Be Published. . . . in one form or another. . .
5. Collect rejection letters
6. Fall in and out of love numerous times
7. Find that darned wagon that hit me last night
8. Oh Yeah. . . Go to Glasgow, Scotland and watch my sister get married

Oh so is life. . . I like to listen to people talk about their past year and what they hope to happen in the next year. . . what deep moral fibers need to be itched in January and are discarded by March but I believe that these are some pretty concrete goals that I have for this year, note that I have not put on anything that ambiguous like Quit Smoking or Become A Better Person. . . which are lofty yet highly unattainable for a rogue such as me. . . I have more or less decided to focus on getting at least one story of mine published through the use of submitting every story that I deem ready to everyone. . . so, maybe I get lucky but I already have a lacquered box for the rejection letters

KTC said:

I can give you a six finger contact, Scarlet. Oh...you said six figure contract Sorry...can't help you there.

I have had a great year with my poetry.

Next year, I want to have a great year with my fiction.

No more, no less.

Click to expand...

Buy me a drink first, at least!!!

I like the idea of writing a monster novel.

I plan on finishing another novel that won't get me anywhere or anything.

I like to aim high.

This year I:
- Finally disciplined myself to write
- Recovered the great novel I'm writing and managed to rewrite it two times without noticing it
- Learned a lot about writing
- Learned a lot about the publishing industry
- Earned a final grade of 91 at my 3rd semester
- Managed to get through the year

Next year I:
- Will finish the novel.
- Will start writing another novel, hopefully finish it
- Learn more about writing
- Earn a final grade superior to 91 in my 4th semester
- Manage to get through the year

Very much the same, but they are good goals

Oh, and next year I also want to learn driving and get my driver's permit.

Next year I want an avatar as cute as DamaNegra's.

This year I . . . turned 40
. . . finished my first novel & collected 30+ rejections on it from agents
. . . joined my first writing group so they can tell me why I got all those rejections & help me move past rejection to publication
. . . finished 3/4 of the first draft of my second novel
. . . bought a car in the same decade it was made

Next year I'll . . . attend my first writer's conference
. . . finish my second novel
. . . collect more rejections from agents & publishers
. . . work out like crazy to counter all the BIC time & chocolate consolation
. . . have some fun once in a while that doesn't have anything to do with writing


"May we all get everything we work for in 2006."
~CP

This Year I....
-quit writing fanfiction completely to concentrate on pro-writing
-put my first novel aside to percolate in my subconscious
-finished the monster first draft of my second novel (which then decided it wanted to be chopped up into three novels)
-reworked my second novel into a complete story
-finished outlines to flesh out the second and third books
-started NaNoWriMo
-gave up on NaNoWriMo when my muse demanded I concentrate on something completely different
-found this message board
-contemplated a relationship with a co-worker
-celebrated with my aunt when her breast cancer went into remission
-outlined another novel, and wrote 8500 words so far
-planned a novel with my beta, and started fleshing out scenes/characters
-sent out my first queries to publishers for novel #2
-received my first rejection


Next Year I....
-will receive more rejections
-will receive a contract for novel #2 (and if I'mlucky, the sequels)
-will participate in NaNoWriMo and finish
-will complete the second and third novels in the trilogy
-will add to that 8500 words on the other novel (and finish, if I'm lucky)
-will write a few of the short stories that are sitting in my head
-will cut down on the number of TV shows I watch
-will learn more discipline when it comes to finding time to write
-will find a new day job before my head explodes

-Kelly

This year, I:

* quit writing fanfiction and resolved to make my own work better than anyone else's in my eyes
* attempted NaNoWriMo and made it halfway through
* started four books
* wrote half of my screenplay
* accumulated rejection letters from poetry editors
* submitted a poem to DIQ and had it accepted

In 2005, I will:

* finish all of those projects I started.

This year I...

Finished my first novel
Got an agent
Learned how tough this industry is
Terminated my agent

Next year I...

Find a new agent
Get published
Start the next book in the FoTG universe.
Stop stressing out about being published.

What a great thread! I love reading people's lists. It's very inspiring.

This year I...

0.5. Got rejected many, many times
1. Sold an audio short story
2. Sold 7 articles to 3 small magazines
3. Got accepted into a "Chicken Soup..." Anthology
4. Sold 5 articles and reviews to a local newspaper
5. Sold 5 Hollywood columns to an online magazine
6. Created a website
7. Visited England and Switzerland
8. Celebrated my first wedding anniversary
9. Worked part-time for a media consultancy company
10. Worked part-time as an off-site journalist for a bank
11. Took an online Media Bistro Course
12. Joined a writer's group from said course
13. Wrote 150 pages of a novel
14. And at long last, got a full-time staff-writing job
15. Left my gym for the apartment gym

In 2006, I will...

1. Finish my novel, edit my novel, edit it again, and one more time
2. Send it out
3. Continue the bank job and staff job
4. Query more magazine editors, keep in touch with those I've worked with this year
5. Use the apartment gym once a week
6. Support my husband with his new career
7. Drive to Palm Springs at least once a month to visit my parents
8. Finish knitting a sweater
9. Update my website at least once a month
10. Start a new novel

Fun thread.

Now, let's see, what the heck did I do this year? Ah, yes:

1. Finally decided not to bother with short stories anymore and concentrate on novels.

2. Decided to put aside a WIP I'd been working on for 2 years after realizing I threw in waaaay too much stuff.

3. Wrote character bios and outlined my current WIP - finished the 1st draft in 30 days.

4. Decided to quit worrying about my sis-in-law and forge ahead with my WIP.

5. Rewrote/revised my WIP mucho times before deciding I couldn't figure out what else to do with it (which took about 4 months).

6. Joined an online critique group so I can get feedback as to what works and what doesn't with my WIP, and to crit the works of others to see how they handle certain things.

In 2006:

1. Get my health problem under control by the end of the year, and hopefully my hubby can get his health problem under control/taken care of earlier than that.

2. Since I've let things slip a bit on critting stories - get back on the bandwagon of critting stories at the online crit group.

3. Get my entire novel critted.

4. Rewrite, revise, etc., etc., etc....

5. I've also fallen off a bit on writing my next novel - develop more character bios and outline the second novel.

6. Gather info/do research on agents, work on the dreaded synopsis, come up with a good query/cover letter.

7. Write the 1st draft of the 2nd novel.

8. Rewrite, revise, etc., that WIP.

Good luck to everybody - and happy holidays!

~Nancy

This year:

1. I started to find my voice. As a result...
2. Got two short stories published.
3. Wrote an online column for six months about an aspiring writer (i.e. Me)
4. Been involved with a great cause with Stories of Strength
5. Got married (should be number one really...don't tell my wife)
6. Gained focus on finishing my first novel

Next year:

1. Continue to use the BIC method of writing. It's painful but it works.
2. Revise and rewrite my novel.
3. Start shopping it around.
4. Work on novel two.
5. Publish more than two short stories.