New Year, New Blog

It's a new year, so I'm starting a new blog. I've always liked the fresh-start feel of New Year's Day - the chance to have a do-over is also one of the reasons I believe in reincarnation.

So I've reincarnated my writing blog. In its old life, it was called "Write to the Finish Line," (and can still be found at www.writetothefinishline.blogspot.com) and it existed from January to August of 2007. Its purpose was to help me keep track of my writing progress, and to help me keep my New Year's resolution to keep working on my writing projects until one of my books was finished, and in good enough shape to send out for publication.

I started out pretty strong - I posted 9 blogs in January, and committed to writing a teen novel, What Luck, that I had started in the fall of 2006. I wrote on my days off from work, and brought the newly-written pages to the bi-weekly meetings of the "Wildwood Writers Group" (WWG) - a critique/inspiration/support group that I'm in with several close writing friends. After reading and hearing helpful critiques from the group, I would re-write the pages, and then continue with new scenes, to bring to the group's next meeting.

I've always had a perfectionist attitude towards my writing, and I know it's one of the reasons I have so many unfinished projects. Years ago, I wouldn't even write something until I felt that it was perfect in my mind first. But when I studied journalism, first at Northeastern University in Boston, and then at New York University, I learned to write more freely and then edit the piece quickly, to produce a clean draft in a short amount of time. So I've developed a three-steps-forward, two-steps-back, and then forward-again writing habit. Somehow, it seems to work for me.

My closest friend, Michelle (who hosts the writing group at her place), and I also started going to the local Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) monthly meetings at the bookstore where I work. And in June, we attended our fourth SCBWI conference, which was held at a local hotel/conference center. I had submitted 15 pages of my book for critique, and met with an editor who gave it a favorable critique, so I felt like I was making some good progress.

So what happened? There were a few roadblocks on my way to trying to finish my book, and also in the way of blogging.

In August, my boyfriend Ian's computer (that I also use, for writing and editing) somehow got a virus, and became nearly impossible to use. It was really slow, and would sometimes shut down for no reason. Some pages that I'd written got lost before I could save or print them. And it was hard to go online without having problems. Ian tried to resurrect the computer a couple of times, and got it running again, but it kept breaking down. The printer broke, too, and we got a new one, but couldn't use it much with the old computer.

I tried writing on my computer, but it's a relic, and my printer broke, too. So I went back to writing by hand in a notebook, just so I could have something to bring to the WWG meetings. But it's hard to write for a long time by hand, because I sometimes feel pain and numbness in my neck, shoulder and arm, from an injury I had at work in August '06. So I started writing less and less.

Finally, in November, Ian got some birthday money to use for a new computer. It's really great, and just what we need for my writing, and his photography work. But by that time, the busy and strenuous holiday season had started at the bookstore, and I had even less time to write.

So that's basically why I didn't "write to the finish line" in 2007.

But it's a new year now. And a new chance to keep my new/old New Year's resolution to finish writing my book. And, hopefully, this new blog will help me to "write to the end."

Happy 2008, everyone!