With 2019 almost over, I wanted to look back at everything I was able to accomplish this year. Even though I don’t have anything concrete to show for my work, like a finished novel or a contract with an agent, I did experience a lot of growth in my writing. Here are my top five accomplishments in 2019.
1. Writing The Singularity of Cookies
My main goal for this year was to finish this novel so that I could begin querying in 2020. Sadly, that won’t be the case since I still have a lot of rewriting and revising to do. But I did manage to have a completed novel and get positive feedback on it. I know that with the revisions I have in mind, it will only get better even if it takes longer than I would’ve wanted.
2. Getting a Mentor
Thanks to my membership in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, I was able to get matched with a mentor. Ramona Long is an author and editor with years of experience who helped me dig into what my novel is really about. With her input, I realized that I had to rewrite my novel to take it to the next level.
3. Joining a Critique Group
As part of the Association, I was also able to join a critique group with three other authors. We’ve only been working together for two months, but so far, I’ve gotten invaluable insight into my novel. I’m looking forward to keep working with them in the new year.
4. Publishing my First Article
My essay “The Faith to Keep Going” was published by writerfairys.com. It’s about the ups and downs in my writing journey and how faith that everything will work out keeps me going.
5. Getting my First Fan Mail
A complete stranger wrote me a message about how much he loved my short story, “The Jealousy Game.” It was a treat to learn how much the story resonated with him and to share my writing process with him.
My main goals for 2020 are to finish my novel and begin querying. Even if it takes me all year, I’m confident I’ll be able to achieve this.
What have been your major achievements this year? What are your goals for 2020?
