December 2022 (and end of year) Writing Check-In
Hi, writers! It's time for the monthly writing check in. Since this one also wraps up 2022, it seems a good time to look back over the year while we're at it.
Starting first with December. How did the month go for you? I didn't work on any book-related writing. I did outline a couple of new essays that I will be sharing later this year, and I wrote my piece "In Defense of New Year's Resolutions" for my blog.
The kids' Christmas program I had written in November was performed on December 18. It's always great fun for me to work with the kids, and as a writer, it's a nice way to receive instant feedback on what's working and what isn't. Once the kids start speaking lines, it's not uncommon for me to make some minor adjustments. There's always a sense of temporary dread and panic waiting for the kids to start the program (will people like what we've done?), but it's pretty cool to hear audience members laughing at something you've written :)
I had some high hopes to finish up a few smaller projects the week after Christmas, but alas, my family got influenza. Thank goodness it didn't hit us until the day after Christmas. I'm happy to report that we are closer to restored health each day.
Now for the end of the year wrap-up. I'm not going to dwell on what I didn't accomplish, but celebrate the things I'm proud of from 2022:
I enlisted my friend and fellow book coach, Margaret McNellis, to help me get out of a writing slump early in the year. It worked :)
I wrote a few reflective pieces on the writing life. I wrote "On the Value of Community - Remembering My Friend" after my writing friend died. We had never met in person, but she had been such a positive presence in my writing life. I took tennis lessons over the summer, and wrote "What Learning Tennis Has Taught Me About Writing." And I wrote about the life-changing experience of learning the Beethoven Waldstein Sonata in 2022 in my above-mentioned piece on New Year's resolutions.
I completed blueprints and Inside Outlines for two different novels - one a YA contemporary, and the other an adult contemporary romance. Both are new genres for me to write. I'm starting with the YA in 2023.
I wrote a few informational blog posts to help answer questions: "How is a Book Coach Different From An Editor?", "KidLit Book Categories", "How does book coaching work if I only have a hint of a story idea?"
I had the privilege of being a guest blogger for DIYMFA with "#5onFri: Five Ways to Include Your Children in Your Writing Life This Summer." I enjoyed working with them very much, and I'm delighted to say I'll share a couple pieces with their audience this spring.
How about you? Time to brag on what you accomplished in 2022, no matter how small or big!
