A Week Of Reflection And Resolution

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is a week of mixed emotions for me. On one hand, it's a chance to look back over the last year and reflect on accomplishments... or the lack thereof. On the other hand, it's a time to look forward with determination to do better than I have in the last 12 months.

Reflections:

Deciding that I wanted to get serious about my writing, I renewed my membership in Romance Writers of America (RWA). In February, I took an online class taught by author Jan Springer on how to write an erotic romance. Once the class was over, the participants of that class formed a support group called The Brazen Vixens. We routinely email each other with questions, comments, share interesting industry news, and other various and sundry things. These women have been enormously supportive of me and my efforts.

In April I took a week of vacation in order to participate (in a big way) in my first Book In A Week (BIAW). I set 40,000 words as my goal and on Monday morning settled in, prepared to write a book in a week. My first phone call from the office came on Monday morning at 8:05 a.m. Some vacation! By Tuesday morning I had received several emails from my boss and by the end of the week was on his sh** list because I didn't take care of something when he wanted me to (although he hadn't been clear in his instructions that it was something to be done 'right now'). By the end of May I sold my house so I wouldn't be locked into the job by a mortgage; by the end of June I was pissing and moaning about whether I should quit my job. The turnover at my company was horrible--at the management level (which should have told the Board of Directors something, but apparently they've got their heads up their collective you-know-whats). Since the first of the year we'd lost a Sr. VP, a CFO, an Assistant VP, a Branch Manager, and a first-line supervisor. When a VP announced she'd be retiring after the first of the year, I decided that it was time to go. If I kept hanging on, I'd be there long after I should have.

On September 1st I handed in my resignation. Did my boss (the CEO), never one to let a little thing like people skills get in his way, tell me how much he appreciated my efforts for the last five years or wish me luck? No. He asked, "Do you want to get your personal things now or come back after five?" Nice.

On September 9th, I signed my first contract with Whiskey Creek Press Torrid for my Torrid Twisted Tales novella Dragon's Bane. I have since signed five more contracts: four with WCP Torrid and one with Liquid Silver Books, for a total of six in just over three months. I started on a low-carb diet and haven't been very successful in staying on it. Today, I'm back in the saddle again, so to speak.

So 2005 started with a determination to write, had a lot of angst-ridden months while I tried to make the right decision, and is ending on a very high note.

Resolutions:

I have decided that I'm going to concentrate on my writing for at least another eight months. Then I'll most likely have to go out and get a day-job. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I am treating the writing as a job, putting in at least seven hours a day, five days a week. If I have a particular day that isn't very productive, then I write six days a week versus five.

My friend Suz (a local Brazen Vixen) and I have a short writer's retreat (just the two of us) planned in Sedona in January, and we'll be attending the Desert Dreams conference in Scottsdale in April.

And I will lose weight. This is not an option. So today I'm back on the low-carb and I'm looking forward to having a big salad for lunch. No. Really. I am. Yummy salad. Yum.

So, how was 2005 for you, and what are your plans for 2006?