31 for Fun: 2013 Edition

Alayne Kay Christian challenged her followers to celebrate what they accomplished in 2013 in a fun blog post called “31 Just for Fun.” I  participated last year. 

For more writerly celebrations, see what our WAITT writers accomplished in 2013.

This post always makes me feel like a Braggy Braggerton, but at the same time, it encourages me to see what I was able to accomplish in an hour a day over the course of a whole year.

Picture Books

1. Finished 12×12 this year with a focus on revision. I still wrote several new picture books, but I spent time the majority of my time revising at least one per month.

2. Finish PiBoIdMo with over 50 ideas—more than I could possible draft in a year’s time.

Novels

3. I completed two more major revisions of my middle grade novel and started sending it out.

4. I completed some more revisions to my YA novel in verse and started sending it out.

5. I’m currently on track to finish a DRAFT of my next middle grade novel before the end of December.

Submissions

6. I submitted a lot of things this year—contest entries, articles, picture books, middle grade novel, YA novel, NF book proposal, Work-for-Hire tryouts. I’m thankful for the times that the word YES was said. But when NO was said multiple times, I’m so grateful for the kind and specific rejection letters I received. They pointed me to what’s not working and how I can improve.

Contest

7. I received 1^st place in Children’s Writer Kindergarten story contest which included publication, an article with an interview, and a check for $$$$.

Mentor Texts

8.  I posted a mentor text picture every day in November for Picture Book Month.

9. I had a mentor text article in the Picture Book Teachers’ Guide put together by Marcie Colleen.

10. I participated in 10 for10 PB and recommended my 10 favorite picture books for teaching Word Choice

Articles

11. My guest post “Mentor Texts: Market Your Book to Teachers” appeared on Fiction Notes

12. My guest post “Mentor Texts: Teach Common Core Writing” appeared on Making Common Core Practical

13. My Write On, Mom interview appeared on Jenny Lee Sulpizio’s site

14. My article “Huddle Up: Critique Group Strategy” appeared at Rate Your Story

15. My guest post “Stealing Time” was published on Writers on the Move

16. My guest article “True Confessions of a Juggler” appeared on DIYMFA

17. My guest article “Reading and Studying Mentor Texts” appeared on DIYMFA

18. My article “Mentor Text Marketing” appeared in the SCBWI Bulletin.

Professional Development

19. I attended several conferences include Candice Ransom’s writing retreat and the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference.

20. I took a PB Essentials class, which I won during a WOW Non Fic Pic challenge. This class helped me make some key connections on plot issues on picture books.

21. I also took a Character-Driven Picture Book Class with Mira Reisberg and Marsha Arnold.

22. I took a class with Cheryl Klein on plotting, which helped me do another revision on my Middle Grade novel.

23. I took a “Poet Speak” poetry class online that helped me do some revisions on my Young Adult Novel-in-Verse.

24. I audited an amazing regional novel class with Candice Ransom at Hollins University.

25. I was able to hear some inspiring writers speak including Eric Rohmann, Kathryn Erskine, and Cynthia Lord.

26. I took a Time to Write Class with Kelly Stone.

27. I got to join my in-person critique group for a weekend writing getaway where we sat in a condo and wrote and wrote and wrote.

Writing Community

28. I participated in 3 critique groups. These ladies have kept me hopping every month.

29. I started WAITT posts where other writers chime in to share their experiences.

30. Participated in 12×12, Sub Six, Wow NonFicPic and more!

Most Importantly

31. I wrote nearly every weekday in 2013!!! What made the difference? I get up an hour before everyone else—before I go to work, before the husband and kiddos get up. This has made a huge difference. I blog a lot about making time to write. If you want to see some of my posts on this, you can see them here.