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hobgoblinnAnother year, gone. Seems like I should take stock of where I've been, and where I want to go in the coming year.
Resolutions first, in no particular order:
1. Never thought restraining myself from Monsignioricide would be on the list, but well. Seriously, I need to get Over my anger at God and either come right out and admit I don't believe in anything and stop wasting His time, or start doing things to mend the rift. Probably going to confession or finding a halfway decent spiritual director would be a good first step there. I recognize that a good 85% of my reaction to the recent unpleasantness has Nothing to do with this somewhat muddled old man who, God bless him, really is doing as well as he can with what he's got. He was from all accounts quite content in the small parish church he got pulled from to be the Cathedral Rector when the very good former Rector got pulled to a parish where his talents were desperately needed. And if he's scared of me to the point he can't approach me, that probably has a lot to do with my attitude spilling over. Again, I need to Get Over It, one way or another.
2. I know at owe at least the lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
coyote_william a thoughtful and complete reading of "Gifts." I have owed her this for at least 8 months now. I have good intentions, Maya. Really. If there's something of Yours I have never commented on, speak up with a link. I am reading so much fic these days I can certainly displace it with something that might benefit my actual, if virtual, friends.
3. A long term goal for the year is to finish all outstanding WIPs: "No Malicious Haunting" ("Lost Boys" sequel, working title), "In Loco Parentis" (HP age regression fic, working title) and the 06 Nano Novel "A Father's Love" (Giles, Willow, Ethan genfic, post Chosen, not remotely comics compliant-- also the last section was written and meant forantennapedia's Antique Roman Ficathon as a pinch hitting entry that turned out not to be needed.) BUT-- a better goal is: write for 10 minutes every night. The ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
wrisomifu community mantra got me through Nano07 with its eminently achievable and modest target. A bonus would be if I could finish my original story this year, but I won't go that far. I sense that one is going to require a lot more than 10 minutes a night for a year-- some research, some synthesis, some growing up. Fanfic will stretch me in the meantime, I think.
That's enough resolutions. What about last year am I proud of?
1. Finishing some decent stories, including one story written completely for a ficathontenyearsofbuffy: Through a Glass Darkly. I need to stick that out on ff.net. Also posted an older story, a fragment I abandoned when writing Summer. Shadows and Echoes was, as I said at the time, a cool way for me to see just how far I've come as a writer since sometime in '05 when I first jotted it down. I'm immensely proud of my Harry Potter stories Two Dads and Lost Boys. I'm also proud of work I did on stuff that isn't yet completed, but these are special because they are Done. And they feel done.
2. Beta reading and judging fanfic. I got as much or more out of it than the people I was reading for/ judging. But it felt good to give back. Ditto to leaving reviews and comments for people's work. I should do much more of it, considering how I love getting comments myself. But I think I do a lot more than most, and I'm happy about that.
3. I wrote a really cool song. It's a setting of "Set Me as a Seal" (yeah, the same text as referenced in "Shadows and Echoes". What can I say? I've always liked it, especially "for Love is as Strong as Death.") I need to score it out in the coming year and submit it to a publisher. Or at least start getting my local musician friends to start using it for weddings.
4. Getting up and going to work and trying to get by, every day. I've had years where more days than not were exercises in confrontation and a kind of grim courage. This year was harder in some ways, because there wasn't much of that. No court battles, no evil social workers. Living really is harder than martyrdom. Who knew? I won't pretend I did everything the best way, but-- I'm still in there plugging away. Can't say fairer than that.
What are your plans for the year, friends? Or what are you most proud of, looking back?
Resolutions first, in no particular order:
1. Never thought restraining myself from Monsignioricide would be on the list, but well. Seriously, I need to get Over my anger at God and either come right out and admit I don't believe in anything and stop wasting His time, or start doing things to mend the rift. Probably going to confession or finding a halfway decent spiritual director would be a good first step there. I recognize that a good 85% of my reaction to the recent unpleasantness has Nothing to do with this somewhat muddled old man who, God bless him, really is doing as well as he can with what he's got. He was from all accounts quite content in the small parish church he got pulled from to be the Cathedral Rector when the very good former Rector got pulled to a parish where his talents were desperately needed. And if he's scared of me to the point he can't approach me, that probably has a lot to do with my attitude spilling over. Again, I need to Get Over It, one way or another.
2. I know at owe at least the lovely
coyote_william a thoughtful and complete reading of "Gifts." I have owed her this for at least 8 months now. I have good intentions, Maya. Really. If there's something of Yours I have never commented on, speak up with a link. I am reading so much fic these days I can certainly displace it with something that might benefit my actual, if virtual, friends.3. A long term goal for the year is to finish all outstanding WIPs: "No Malicious Haunting" ("Lost Boys" sequel, working title), "In Loco Parentis" (HP age regression fic, working title) and the 06 Nano Novel "A Father's Love" (Giles, Willow, Ethan genfic, post Chosen, not remotely comics compliant-- also the last section was written and meant for
antennapedia's Antique Roman Ficathon as a pinch hitting entry that turned out not to be needed.) BUT-- a better goal is: write for 10 minutes every night. The wrisomifu community mantra got me through Nano07 with its eminently achievable and modest target. A bonus would be if I could finish my original story this year, but I won't go that far. I sense that one is going to require a lot more than 10 minutes a night for a year-- some research, some synthesis, some growing up. Fanfic will stretch me in the meantime, I think.That's enough resolutions. What about last year am I proud of?
1. Finishing some decent stories, including one story written completely for a ficathon
tenyearsofbuffy: Through a Glass Darkly. I need to stick that out on ff.net. Also posted an older story, a fragment I abandoned when writing Summer. Shadows and Echoes was, as I said at the time, a cool way for me to see just how far I've come as a writer since sometime in '05 when I first jotted it down. I'm immensely proud of my Harry Potter stories Two Dads and Lost Boys. I'm also proud of work I did on stuff that isn't yet completed, but these are special because they are Done. And they feel done. 2. Beta reading and judging fanfic. I got as much or more out of it than the people I was reading for/ judging. But it felt good to give back. Ditto to leaving reviews and comments for people's work. I should do much more of it, considering how I love getting comments myself. But I think I do a lot more than most, and I'm happy about that.
3. I wrote a really cool song. It's a setting of "Set Me as a Seal" (yeah, the same text as referenced in "Shadows and Echoes". What can I say? I've always liked it, especially "for Love is as Strong as Death.") I need to score it out in the coming year and submit it to a publisher. Or at least start getting my local musician friends to start using it for weddings.
4. Getting up and going to work and trying to get by, every day. I've had years where more days than not were exercises in confrontation and a kind of grim courage. This year was harder in some ways, because there wasn't much of that. No court battles, no evil social workers. Living really is harder than martyrdom. Who knew? I won't pretend I did everything the best way, but-- I'm still in there plugging away. Can't say fairer than that.
What are your plans for the year, friends? Or what are you most proud of, looking back?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-05 07:09 pm (UTC)Getting up and going to work and getting by -- I do need to remember that that's a real victory. Thanks!
And, I can't wait to see/hear more about the NANO 06 novel!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-05 07:29 pm (UTC)If you're Really into pain and suffering, you can see the draft entries from last November as it was being written. Much of it makes me cringe now, but it did have its moments. I'm trying to be more disciplined about what I put out into the public domain now-- as in, not putting a WIP out there, no matter how good I think it is. Maybe it's selfish of me-- I wouldn't trade the experience of reading "Water Hold Me Down" or the "Transformations Quartet" for anything, but I know myself well enough now to realize that my good intentions do not count for a lot, and I don't want to do that to anyone else.
On the up side, really all the WIPs I currently have going are within striking distance of being ready for a beta--
So. Off to it now.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-08 03:18 am (UTC)I would love to hear your thoughts on Gifts if you get a chance at some point...but there is no rush! (And I'm very touched that you posted about it!)
Getting up and going to work and trying to get by, every day. I've had years where more days than not were exercises in confrontation and a kind of grim courage. This year was harder in some ways, because there wasn't much of that. No court battles, no evil social workers. Living really is harder than martyrdom. Who knew? I won't pretend I did everything the best way, but-- I'm still in there plugging away. Can't say fairer than that.
Yes. Living is hard. Very, very, very hard.
{{{*Hugs*}}}