Farewell, 2008; Hello, 2009

There's a lot that can probably be said about 2008. I'm not going to get into all that, though, because this post is just about me and my personal resolutions for the coming year.

Whatever else can be said about 2008, it was the year that I became a published novelist, something that I'd always hoped for and yet never in a million almost thirty years ever thought actually would happen. Not only did I write and publish a book, but as far as I know, it sold pretty well this year, and people have been mostly favorable in reviews, which hopefully means that I wrote a good book.

Of course, while Thousand Leaves was published in 2008, I actually did the writing itself far earlier. In fact, most of my writing in 2008 (and late 2007, actually)¹ was spent on my second novel, my working title for which has been The Seventh Chakra².

Now, I've mentioned before in this blog that this sophomore novel of mine has been... problematic. While I certainly wouldn't say that writing Thousand Leaves was at all easy, this time around, it's just much more difficult. I'm not sure if it's because I'm holding myself to a higher standard, or if it's because of the content of the novel itself, or what, but it's been fighting me every step of the way (and, in fact, I've gone months at a time without even wanting to look at the damn thing).

Well, that's all going to change. The steps have been tough, sure, but while progress has been slow, it's still been progress, and having gotten to where I am now, I can see the finish line.

My major resolution, then, for 2009, is as follows: I'm going to finish a first draft of The Seventh Chakra by the end of March, and I'm going to have a complete revised draft finished by my birthday (July 25th)³.

I think I can do it, too. I have momentum. And when you're a writer, momentum can often be the single most valuable weapon in your arsenal.



1. Checking back on my records, I actually started writing it sometime in either late February or early March of 2007. Curse you, book!

2. This is just my title for it. Currently, I have no concrete plans as to when or by whom or even if it will be published, so please don't ask for those details. Right now, my focus is solely on writing the damn thing.

3. This way, it also doubles as a handy birthday present to myself!