The Third Year

My second year on my quest to become a published author has passed, and the third year is upon us.

And, amazingly enough, I actually am a published author, now. I've had one short story published in a horror anthology, another story will come out in a magazine in December 2013, I've been shortlisted for a professional paying publication, and I've been a contributor every week for the past year at the Confabulator Cafe.

Short stories weren’t really the direction I had planned on going last year, but I think it worked out for the best. I had some success, and it's helped me hone my craft as a writer.

Last year I had planned on doing some rewriting and editing, but never managed to get very far with that. This year, though, I'm working on my editing certificate through UC Berkeley's online extension program, so I feel like I'm finally ready to shift gears and edit.

As I mentioned last year, I know I can write. I've written several novels, one even full-length. Now I know I can write short stories - anywhere from 20k to 1k. And I can write essays in response to prompts. I am a versatile writer, and I’ve sharpened my skills.

So, now, this is the year of editing.

But the rest won’t stop. No. I will continue to write – both novel length works as well as short stories. I invested in a year subscription to Duotrope so I will continue to submit my short stories. I will keep writing for the Café. I will hopefully complete the editing certificate by the end of the year so I will keep learning and submitting assignments for that.

But on top of all of that, I will work on editing at least one of the two novels I wrote in 2011.

And, depending on where I am after all of that, I might start querying said novels.

Patience and timing are important as a writer. So are hard work, determination, and not letting rejection get us down. Yes, two years have passed so I only have eight left to reach my publishing goal. But as far as I’ve come in the past two years, I’m confident that by the time I turn forty, I will be exactly where I want to be as far as my writing career.

So, to reiterate, here are my 2013 writing goals:

• In January, finish writing 2012 Nano novel.
• Submit at least one short story a month.
• Edit Online Dating for Demons (write a clean first draft and then have people beta read)
• Keep writing – attempt short stories outside of the Café, and attempt to write a novel outside of November.
• Blogs – Café every Tuesday, Prospective Writer every Friday, and Red Wine Reminiscence every Sunday. Post something on FB author page at least once a week, as well.

I think that’s plenty to keep me busy next year. Help keep me honest and accountable, folks. That’s why I created this blog. I need my readers.

One last thing: to celebrate our one-year anniversary, the Confabulator Cafe got a makeover! Come check out our new look, and take a minute to check out our fresh content every week.