Dawn Bonanno

You’re welcome Maya.  Go collect some souls, will you?  Let me write some other stories now. 😉

Yes, it’s done.  Finally.  The ending doesn’t seem exactly right, I was torn on who should die, but I think I made the right choice.  Now, to tuck this one away until I’m ready to edit it.

Major progress on Nighthunter’s Bite.  Over 2k written today, and just a scene and a half to go.  Tomorrow should be good for tying it up.  Not a happy story though, but one that needed writing.  I’ll be glad to put Maya to rest for a bit once this is done.

Despite my exhaustion, I worked a little on Nighthunter’s Bite.  I deleted the junk I had in place, tweaked the existing opening, and that was pretty much it.  Ready to move forward, next writing session.

I’m back from my trip and wow did I ever underestimate the time I need to get settled back in.  I posted goals for this week, but I can’t get to them all. 

Nighthunter’s Bite is on the agenda for tonight and tomorrow, I’ll push through what I can.  (No more ‘i need this to be perfect’; I just need to write the damn thing.  I can always edit it. This story has been in my head for three years now, I’m disgusted with myself.) 

Then, Friday and Saturday I’d like to spend on Black Violas.  I have a March 31st deadline, and I’m only on the first revision here.  Again, this doesn’t need to be perfect, but I need to start addressing the story issues.  I do not have the luxury of time on this one.

This is the year I break through my old writing problems and produce.  Year?  Nah.  Week?  Change should never be later, it should always be now.  TODAY.

I have high expectations for 2010, but I know there will be complications this year for various reasons.  With that in mind, I have selected Enudrance as my focus goal because I want to endure through the issues that come, and when I take those neccessary breaks to deal with (or enjoy) my life, I will return to the writing. 

Novels: You can’t publish a novel if you don’t write it to completion and edit it.  Shadow of Blood is about half complete (stopped during my pregnancy with Amber) and I intend to complete it this year.  Forgotten Star has been in existance since 2000, and it needs an edit worthy of my love for the story, and it needs to enter the submissions process.  I signed up for Holly Lisle’s How To Revise Your Novel class to do this.  I’ll take what I like from her process and forge on ahead.  I also know that ideas will come to me for other stories to write: I will allow myself to develop those ideas and conduct limited research (see below “novel planning”) and then return to it when I need a new project.

Short Stories: I love them, but they are still a challenge.  I will continue to write and revise and submit.

Reading: My time is limited but I can’t neglect reading.  I’m still working on Martin’s behemoth novels, but I also need to keep reading short stories, and I’d like to start reading some YA because some of my story ideas are veering that way.  I just don’t know enough about the genre to feel comfortable writing in it just yet.

Classes/Workshops: I don’t know what’s on the agenda at FM for 2010, but I know the 2009 workshops (I think I did two of them) were wonderfully helpful for my writing.  If it’s free, why turn down an opportunity to learn?  And I will be saving some personal time from work to hit the Muse Online for the same thing. (edit: workshops not on the agenda, but there are “back to school” classes that run about a month.)

Viable Paradise: I’ve drooled over this workshop for years and the husband and I finally decided I could apply.  The kids will be old enough in 2011 for me to leave him alone with them for a week, and I’ll have enough time to budget for the trip.  My one project for December 2010 is to complete the application.  I don’t yet know if I’ll be applying with the novel chapters or the short stories, but I have a year to decide.

I’m also hoping to use personal time from work this year to provide extra time for writing, maybe on the basis of a half day, once a month.

2010 Goals
Main Goal: Endurance
HTRYN Class: 22 lessons
Forgotten Star revision
Shadow of Blood 1st Draft (40k done, 40k to go)
2YN Class (half done w/Shadow of Blood)
Novel Planning: 4
Short Story Writing: 6
Short Story Edits: 15
Short Story Submissions: 20
New Submissions: 3
Crits: 20
Reading: 6
FM Classes as interested
FM SAD Writing Challenge (May)
Muse Online Writing Conference (Oct)
Prep Viable Paradise application for 2011

** Taking time to visit family; no writing schedule for the first week of January.

December: not a lot of writing, but important projects were completed.
* Fading Light — reedited and resubmitted;
* Hunter’s Honor — reedited and submitted;
* Think Sideways — final 3 lessons completed.

2009 was a very busy year.  I learned that I can write when I often think I can’t; I can work multiple projects (Balance!) though not quite simultaneously yet.  I learned that people have more faith in my writing than I had realized, which is amazing.

What did I do?  I survived the first year of my 2nd child’s life.  That alone is victory.  Writing on top of that, aside from being insane, is wonderful.

While I didn’t achieve all my goals, I came pretty damn close.

* Think Sideways 25/25

* Stalker novel planned/outlined
* Short Story Edits — 5
* Short Story Submissions — 7
* New Submissions — 2
* Short Story Writing — 1
* Crits — 7
* Reading — 4
* FM Workshops — 1
* Rejections — 6
* Publications — 1

Revisions completed over lunch; story submitted.  This one item cleaned up 2 goal items I didn’t think I’d make this year.  I am much pleased with myself.  🙂

Hunter revisions are in progress.  Removed myself from the cold basement, and am working in the living room after the kids have gone to bed.  The “climate” change is good, and I just have to adjust to having distractions (tv, hubby, food), but there are good things too, like when I’m stuck on a word and I can ask the nice guy sitting a few feet away. 

Possibly one more night on this project.