Cutlass Trilogy

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

Well everyone, we've made it to 2013 without Armageddon or an apocalypse. And now it's the 2nd of January--we're at the beginning of another year. My New Years Resolution was to land an agent. I know, I know--it's hard to actually do it...but hey, it's better than my other resolutions which always involve weight loss of some sort. As part of my Insecure Writer's Support Group Post, I thought I'd go over some ways my writing has changed in the last year, and what I realized about myself as a writer. There have been ups...and downs...but I'm still here. Still going.


The first thing I came to terms with in 2012 was that my book needed to be rewritten. By rewritten I mean open a new word document and start from the very beginning. I wasn't without tools, though. Barbara Kloss suggested I read John Truby's Anatomy of Story, and from there, I began to outline. Now, I can't read or what a movie without think about that book. It's how I have gone about crafting all my books. I know it's made me better.

Next, I did a lot of self-reflection and realized I wouldn't be the writer I am today without going to college and having those experiences. I'm not sure how I know that, I just know. Not only did it help my writing to have some actual training, but I also gained real-life experiences. Sometimes, you just can't write about things unless you experience them. You know, mosh pits, Greek parties and the like. haha.

I now know that all writers have dreams--and I mean the big ones. Landing an agent. Getting published. Sharing their books with the world. Probably my biggest realization about 2012 was that you have to be able to take the bad and ALWAYS remember the good. It can get tough. You're handing out you baby for people to read--your CREATION. Blood, sweat, tears have gone into that thing--literally. It wasn't easy to write. There's stress. It's a JOB. Even then, it probably isn't perfect. But that's what we do as writers. We writer, we edit, we fix. We write some more. It's our life. It's what we signed up to do, and if we can't stay positive and persevere we really won't have anything.

You might think that sounds depressing.

But really, it's full of hope.

I was at Aladdin's house over the holidays and talking to some people who were younger than me. One made the comment, "You should just die after 12, life just sucks after that."
I was appalled, and I disagreed with them. Life is what you make it--really, it is. And if you think life sucks after 12 then life will suck after 12. If you're like me, you see time. Time to make dreams come true. Every year I hope I can make a dream come true.

Persevere writers! We're awesome. :)

14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Hello from IWSG and Happy New Year! I agree that life is what you make of it too- if you look for the good, the good things will stand out. And turning this around, those who look for the bad will only see bad things.

    I hope 2013 is a good writing year for you.

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  3. It's so true, if you think life will be awful, it will be. If you have a positive attitude, than good things will come your way!

    Great IWSG post - very inspiring!

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  4. Happy New Year!! Glad to see you survived the horrors of 2012 and with your positive attitude, you should do well in 2013. :)

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  5. Happy New Year! Yeah, 2012 was a learning experience for me to. It's hard to stay positive, but it helps. And while on the note of life being what you make it, you might want to try reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. That's pretty much what the book is about.

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  6. Wonderful IWSG post!!! Happy New Year!!! I love your attitude. I thinking holding onto the good stuff is very important too. Best wishes on finding an agent quickly in 2013! Happy writing!

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  7. Great Post! Taking the bad with the good helps make us better writers. I am so glad to have joined this hop. It's so nice to know there are others out there with the same issues as myself!

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  8. A positive attitude to life is essential. Thing get tough at times but we always have to look for the good.
    All the best for 2013.

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  9. Die after 12. Hmmm... I'm not so sure I disagree. LOL Although I would have missed out on my latter 20s and early 30s, which weren't all bad. :P

    Good for you for taking on the re-writing. My first two WIPs - the ones I cut my teeth on - need major revision. After I debut with #3, I'm going to tackle those puppies. :D

    Great post!
    IWSG #137 until Alex culls the list again.

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  10. You should die after twelve? Crap, I've been living on borrowed time for decades then.
    I rewrote an entire story from scratch once. It is possible!

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  11. Holy cow - die after twelve? High school sucked for me, but I always wanted to get on the other side so things could start getting better, not die earlier. That's nuts!

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  12. Yup - that perseverance is the biggest part of the battle! I love your outlook. Hope you get closer to those dreams in 2013!!

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  13. 12? Oh that poor person! Really? 12!!! Maybe 112. That's how long I plan to live ;)

    Happy New Year!

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  14. I really like your second point, that you wouldn't be the writer you are today without your experiences. I've lived through some difficult things, but I know I'm a better writer because of it. I'm not saying that makes those bad things okay; just that I learned from them.

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