Skip Counting

Today is my 30th birthday.  Some ask if I feel old.  Some feel compelled to remind me that I am in fact still very young.  Apparently, 30 is the new 25.  But the one thought that keeps popping into my head:

Where did the last decade go?

In the last ten years I

• married my best friend
• moved six times
• completed University
• bought my first car
• bought my first house
• delivered three beautiful babies, and savoured each moment of growth and discovery
• spent two years teaching early elementary
• wrote my first novel
• published several short stories
• made new friends
• cherished the friends still walking alongside me
• read hundreds of books
• worked hard to grow spiritually
• renovated a bedroom
• learned never to renovate another bedroom
• fell in love with Arizona
• developed a greater appreciation for road trips
• overcame my abhorrence for 'spicy' foods and learned to appreciate the exquisite sensory experience that is salsa
• decided with final surety that under no circumstances will I ever skydive.

This list seems exhaustive.  In fact, just reading over it, I feel in a degree the weight of the years.  And yet...

I don't really feel old.  When I was 20, I thought I was old.  Now, as the years pick up speed, I realize how young I truly am.  There are times when I feel infinitely flawed.  There are times I am sure I will never overcome my own faulty dispositions.  There are times I feel I will always fall short of the finish line.

But the last ten years are more than just points on a bullet list.  Those points must be interwoven with the natural insecurities and uncertainties of youth, but knitted together with the love, the joy, the sorrow, the discoveries, the unknown.  Life is more than a list of accomplishments.  And 30 is just a number.

So do I feel old?  I creak more, tire quicker, and court forgetfulness.  I'm certainly not 20.  But I also don't feel old.

In fact, in many ways, I feel that life is still just getting going. 

So here's to the next 10 years...

I Love December

I'm sitting here sipping eggnog mixed with milk, the Christmas tree lights twinkling, the snowflakes falling silently outside, soft music playing in the next room, and thinking....Ahhh.

I love December!

And guess what - I did it!  I finished NaNoWriMo 2012, and I did it a day early!  This past year of really focusing on my writing has paid off.  Not only did I find the first draft process easier this time around, but the story ideas flowed more naturally, and my internal editor was more manageable.

So now it's on to the busyness that consumes December, with next year's writing resolutions at the forefront of my mind.  I have some ideas for where I want both my writing and my blogging to go in the next while, but you'll have to wait till January to find out more.

So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see you in January 2013.

P.S.  How was your NaNo experience this year?

Revisiting Resolutions

So here we are.  July 2012.  The beginning of the month brings both the big National Celebrations for the USA and Canada.  July 1st (Canada Day) and July 4th (Independence Day) and their associated fireworks displays mark exactly half a year since the last big sparkly night sky bash - New Years Eve.

Image used with permission from thenewpbj.blogspot.com
Do not repost without permission.

With six whole months, three seasons, and countless days filled with joy, and trial and work and...well...life, it's time to reflect on where we were the last time we watched the fireworks.

It's time for a check in on our New Years Resolutions.  Sadly, I actually had to look mine up to remember what they were.  Gratefully, I'm not doing too bad.  Here's where I'm at:

1.  My first goal was to finish my Nano manuscript and edit it.

Well, that fell by the way side by February.  But between February and the end of May, I managed to write consistently every evening after the kids went to bed and finished a manuscript (different than the Nano one) for the first time ever.

2.  My next goal was to prepare for NaNoWriMo 2012. 

Yah.  Haven't even started thinking about that yet. 

3. My final writing goal was related to improving my skills through my critique group, my reading, and my blog.

I'm proud to say I've made a more consistent effort to post.  Consistency feels good.  It feels like a small measure of success.  And I've read so far 21 books this year.  Won't ever complain about reading.  And I continue to be a staunch believer of how important writing groups can be.

How about you?  How are your goals coming along?

A to Z, Where You Can Find Me (aka the case of the missing blogger)

Wow - I can't believe how neglected I've let this blog become!  Part of my New Year's Resolution was to keep active with my posts.  While I don't aspire to post daily at this point, I should be making more of an effort than once a month...

I've been really focusing each night to finish my current WIP and I've managed to make it to 71,000ish words first draft.  I think I'm literally days from finishing and finally getting to write 'the end'.  I can't tell you how exciting that is for me - both to finish something I've loved writing, and to move on to something else.

Amidst all the frenzied late night writing, I also had a husband preparing for finals, my immunized daughter come down with the chicken pox, 10-11 hour work days and pre-garden/pre-yard work/change-all-the-kids-clothing-to-summer-wear season.  Oh yeah, and then there were taxes!  So while April did prove to be a hectic month, it was still productive.

My friend Jaima, who I blogged about in March, is a semi-finalist for the ABNA contest!  So pumped for her.  And while reading the list, I discovered that another talented online writer friend of mine has also made the semi-final round for the contest!  Yay Regina Sirois!  Now I'm holding my breath in eager anticipation for May 22, and the announcements of the next rounds.  Regardless of how these two ladies do, I'm so excited for how far they've made it - certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating.

I've also had a chance to participate in the A to Z bloghop, through the two group blogs I'm proud to be a contributor for.  You can see my posts here:

E is for The End, on Mormon Mommy Writers

F is for Forward, on The Writer's Dojo

K is for Kids, on Mormon Mommy Writers

Q is for Quotes, on Mormon Mommy Writers

I'm also up for W this Thursday, before we finish off the month long challenge.  You'll have to go check it out then.  Take a moment to check out the posts for the other letters - there's some amazing and inspirational topics for this challenge!

Cheering On A Friend

My friend and critique group partner Jaima has made it to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) Quarter Finals, and I am so excited for her!!!

If you want to read her work, then you can download her excerpt here. You just have to be forgiving of the technological system errors that have someone evaporated her punctuation marks, and replaced them with strange Greek symbols, or just invisible altogether (apparently it's a problem for many of the entries...).

She's a talented and insightful writer, but also one of the most intuitive and caring friends. I can't wait to continue to read her work, and I'll be there cheering her along the ABNA way, no matter how far she goes, and beyond.

Two Exciting Announcements

I'm very excited about two new opportunities that have become available to me this month.

I was invited to be a roaming contributor (occasional blogger) for Ali Cross' Dojo at ninjaswrite.com. I'm really enjoying the daily posts and the insight and confidence and motivation they provide to get working on the craft of writing. If your looking for a daily boost of motivation to keep moving forward with your writing, this is definitely the place to visit.

One cool thing Ali has done is to create these little buttons you can add to your blog, to earn your Ninja writing black belt. Let me tell you - I am so excited for that day! In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy the process of learning and improving in the craft of writing. I studied the requirements of each of the buttons, and found that some matched and some didn't what I have already accomplished. So I am going to go with the highest level I seemed to have achieved, and work my way up from there. If you want your own ninja writing belt, go check it out and see where you qualify.

Here's what I've done to earn this badge, according to the list of requirements:

• Have been blogging for a year or more (almost five now)
• Joined a writer's association (Authors Incognito, Southern Alberta Writer's Workshop)
• Joined a critique group (three years now)
• Have at least five writer friends (too many to count - isn't that a wonderful feeling?)
• Started visiting writing blogs
• Entered a writer's contest (lots, and won or placed in a few!)
• Have been writing in earnest for six months or more (or years...)
• Attended a writer's conference or workshop (several of both)
• Have your work critiqued by another writer (and now know how important this is)
• Read at least 50 books in your genre (again, too many to count)

I'm excited to keep working towards the purple belt, with my eye forever on the black.

I've also been invited to be a regular contributor with the Mormon Mommy Writers Blog. Starting next week, I will be making weekly posts on Thursday. They have a cool new project called Monday Manuscripts in Motion, encouraging you to pull out a project and do something to tweak it at least once a week. Should be fun! Come check it out: