Discussion End of Year Assessments

[Sunny Irene Roth]

Hi ladies!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready to regroup, assess, and move into the new year with renewed assurance and confidence.

I know this has been a tremendously hard year for a lot of you. My heart goes out to you all!

This week, I would like you to do some assessment of how you did in 2022. Again, as I say so many times, this is not meant to be a process of self-reproach, but one of self-compassion and self-knowledge. The whole idea behind the process is for you to actually take stock of all you did, no matter how little, and then move forward from there.

So today, take some time to write all the things that you accomplished. Write them in your writer's journal and then post them here.

Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow.

Try to keep up with the reflections each day this week. They will help you have a productive 2023.

See you all tomorrow!
Irene Roth

 

[Shari Held]

• It's December 30 and I just finished my 12th story of the year. I barely squeaked by, but I met my goal of 12 stories per year. But I did it!
• I completed five Master Courses and numerous other classes and seminars about writing.
• I created a new author website--www.shariheld.com
• I made 41 short story submissions, had 8 stories published in 2022 and 2 stories accepted for publication in 2023.

 

[AmberELM]

Hi ladies!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready to regroup, assess, and move into the new year with renewed assurance and confidence.

I know this has been a tremendously hard year for a lot of you. My heart goes out to you all!

This week, I would like you to do some assessment of how you did in 2022. Again, as I say so many times, this is not meant to be a process of self-reproach, but one of self-compassion and self-knowledge. The whole idea behind the process is for you to actually take stock of all you did, no matter how little, and then move forward from there.

So today, take some time to write all the things that you accomplished. Write them in your writer's journal and then post them here.

Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow.

Try to keep up with the reflections each day this week. They will help you have a productive 2023.

See you all tomorrow!
Irene Roth

Hi,

This year plotted out the novel I am working on and a second one. I feel like I learned a lot about the value of knowing where I am going. I write almost every day, that is a plus. I can see the end of the novel I am writing and how to get there.

I would like to be more consistent, less moody, and stop taking on things I don't have the time or energy to complete. I have made progress in these areas as well. I have a daily schedule I stick to. I am somewhat flexible with it or I would be really unhappy. I've cut out two responsibilities that I don't think serve my writing goals.

Also this year, I wrote down a process for starting new books. I'm continually updating it. I believe it will be one that will work for me and have structure and flexibility.

Hope you're having a good year so far.

Amber

 

[kittooney]

I've been a bit missing from the sprints and the forum with a lot of travel and time zones, illness, family things, and freelance work. But I think my biggest accomplishment has been less about words on the page and more about changing my entire life.

In May 2022, I left a job after being there for 8.5 years. I left a really good salary and benefits because I needed to for my health. It was terrifying. Now, seven months later, I've discovered copywriting as a career and am starting a business. It's wild and a bit overwhelming.

Starting a business takes a lot of time and energy, and yes it's cut into some of my writing this fall, but this feels different than balancing a full-time salaried job. It's all toward a goal of ultimately establishing myself as a niche copywriting expert so I can work less -- and write more. I am making a 12-month plan to get there.

BUT thanks to this group and some writing friends, I've still been writing. So, this year I:

• Started two blogs, and have kept them going regularly (except for a brief interruption)
• Drafted three essays, and many other shorter pieces
• Got four new publishing credits, including three articles adapted from blog posts and one short story for kids
• Started writing about chronic illness and met amazing people through the process