It’s the end of the year (or almost) so, of course, I simply must look back on writing in 2012. All the cool kids are doing it.
Anyway, my key word for 2012 was growth. I wanted to try a few new things with my writing and untie myself from the notion that I could only do just one thing.
I think I succeeded.
First, I mixed it up with some classes. I took:
- A poetry class
- Writing in the flow (the Robert Olen Butler method) class
- Flash fiction/flash memoir class
I ended up writing more than forty poems (not necessarily good poems, mind you). In March, I surprised myself by writing a piece of flash fiction that simply tumbled out of me one morning, sparked by a poem I’d read.
And I thought to myself: Why am I not doing more of this? I like this!
I liked it so much, I ended up writing seven more stories (complete drafts) and have several others in the “stewing” stage.
Than first piece of flash fiction I wrote back in March? The Secret Life of Sleeping Beauty, which ended up:
- being published in the Unidentified Funny Objects anthology
- taking fourth place in the Writer’s Digest annual competition in the Children’s/YA category.
In the big, surprising, out-of-the-blue sort of news this year, Darcy and I sold audio rights to Audible.com for The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading. And now you know everything I do about that. If/when the audio book is produced, I’ll be sure to let you know.
I finished off the year with The Southeast Review’s 30-day writer’s regimen. At first, I was reluctant. Writing? During the holidays? Actually, it kept me writing during the holidays. I missed a prompt here and there, but I wrote something for nearly all of them. According to the website, it looks like they’re launching all new material in February 2013. Mark your calendars! I highly recommend this. I had a blast doing it.
And that’s my writing year. I think it was a good one.
Writing Wrongs 