Editing note: Most of the links have been temporarily removed from this post until the housecleaning is complete. 08/2011
It’s been a fantastically interesting and wild year all around. My first post of the year (deservedly, if I recall right) involved the history of alcohol. I attended MarsCon 2010 as a guest writer–my first “pro” convention appearance–very exciting (and a whole lotta fun!) Then I got snarky about the FTC crackdown on review bloggers. I had an ethical dilemma, talked about werewolves, and held my first book launch party. Around RavenCon time, I had a chain of mini-disasters. I went to my first online writing convention, Coyote Con, and enjoyed it tremendously. I discovered a great blog, Fan to Pro, and became friends with the author (Steven Savage)–I also reviewed his first book (damn good for a fledgling effort)–and by the way, Steven will be starting up as a regular guest blogger here in 2011–very cool, to my way of thinking!
I mused about the benefits of being ill, hosted guest bloggers Tina Morris, Danielle Ackley McPhail, Allen Wold, and JeanMarie Olivieri. I opened up to readers about my own battle with depression. I attended my first BaltiCon44 and almost accidentally made contacts that put me straight into CapClave 2010 and a speech at the Library of Congress (the writing of which came with a side trip all its own). I (and many others) mourned the passing of Jeanne Robinson.
I joined some good friends at the Mystic Moon one day for a book signing , talked about why research is actually kind of fun when done right, and perpetrated some of that research (about tea) in service of my forthcoming novel (Guardians of the Desert). I also admitted that I enjoy the process of revising my novels and faced up to my fear of Famous People. I broke my own rule and reviewed a friend’s book on my blog . I ran headfirst into an interesting version of writer’s block . And I took one of the most boring conversational topics I could think of and pointed out why the weather is actually important to a writer. And I unearthed a lost blog post.
What amazes me the most about the above list is that it’s not comprehensive. I blogged a lot this year. Not every day, not even every week, but considering that I also: went to somewhere around eight or nine out of state conventions and multiple in-state book signings, finished and proofed Guardians of the Desert; finished and put aside book three, and am now burning through book four at a remarkable clip (given the rather unpromising and frustrating start); went to Florida on a completely unplanned, last-minute decision, two week visit in October, then went down for another week over Christmas holidays (first time driving, second time flying–don’t know which was worse, as I’m horrible at flying but the van required almost a thousand dollars of repair halfway down the road on the first trip); threw my back out about four times; took a typography class; faced up to my fear of elevators (one more item almost off the What Scares Me list–woo!); helped friends clear out a Very Large storage unit in hundred-degree-plus weather; and generally pushed my boundaries in all possible directions to find out what suits me best … given all that, I think I did a pretty good effort of blogging in 2010.
And what have I learned from all this? Well, that I’m moving in the right direction…because I decided a while back that I don’t want to look at my life when I’m fifty or seventy or ninety and say, I wish I’d tried… or something similar. I’m going to do it right now, and see if I like it. Looking back over the past year, I can certainly say I didn’t leave too many stones unturned, and I’ve got plans in place to kick over a few more in the coming months. I met some great people and strengthened my practice of treating others as equals, instead of looking for differences or spots where I’m better or worse. I saw some amazing things and found out where my limits are in some directions; discovered that my limits are much further out in other directions than I’d expected.
I’m closing the year out, of course, listening to some weird and fun music we picked up on our Florida Christmas trip: Only The Good Stuff, a CD from local Florida favorite The Barefoot Man. (Think a calypso/reggae Weird Al, and you’re close. Check out his stuff here.)
All in all: 2010 has been a good year. I look forward to blowing that high mark out of the water in 2011!
HAPPY NEW YEAR–be safe, be honest, and remember to laugh whenever possible–because that leaves less holes in the walls!
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