2008 in review: the year I became a Writer

Something changed for me in 2008.  And 2008 was the year I became a writer.

Though I had been writing consistently for about ten years, a set of actions and attitudes created a kind of alchemy and I became what I had spoken of for so long.

In 2007, I joined Romance Writers of Australia and attended my first conference: I think this was a turning point in the road that I have chosen, and thus introduced me to a bunch of like-minded writers, opportunities and writing encouragement.

At the beginning of 2008, I decided to finish a few first drafts that had been languishing on my hard drive, victims of an all-out effort during Nanowrimo and then a fizzle out once the momentum of November had passed.

In quick succession, I completed the first draft of  I’m with the Band, Beyond Happily Ever After, and then finished Hold the Anchovies in our own RWA  50ks in 30 days held in June.

I sent the short story version of Beyond Happily Ever After to Wet Ink magazine and it was accepted for publication in their Spring issue – a very thrilling moment in my life.

I met my awesome critique partner Kiki, and got seriously stuck into editing and rewriting.

I pitched Making the Cut at the RWA conference to Hachette Livre, and followed up with the submission of a partial.

I attended Byron Bay Writers Festival, had a drink with the editor of Wet Ink magazine, and talked to other writers as a WRITER!

And for Nanowrimo in 2008, I wrote another 63k: this time Reality Check, a sequel to Making the Cut.

I entered the RWA Single Title and Loving It contest with Making the Cut, and was stoked to come 9th.

And I met absolutely wonderful online writer friends who are both supportive and whip-cracking in equal measures, and at exactly the right times.  I know their friendship and support has had a direct influence in me transfoming into a writer.

So what was so different in 2008 to previous years?

One word:  SUBMIT

WRITE was not different (though I did discover Write or Die), but I wrote in a lot more quantity than in previous years and FINISH became a focus.

And now for some amazing numbers:

In finishing up the following manuscripts, this is what I wrote in 2008:

Beyond Happily Ever After:  14,980 words

I’m With the Band:                     34,041 words

Hold the Anchovies:                71,425 words

That is a massive total of     120,446 words.

But then for Nanowrimo, I started Reality Check.  As of this morning (New Year’s Eve), I have written 75,496 words of this work in progress.

Which brings my 2008 novelistic word count (not counting short fiction or blogs) to 195,942 words.

And I am determined to make 200k by midnight tonight. Wow!

I’ll be back with an update before midnight on final word count for 2008 and then tomorrow I will declare my writing goals for 2009.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

And the final word count for 2008 is 200,078 words!  Woohoo! Bring on 2009.

But first some sleep.