In my personal life, I'm looking at 'retiring' from my day job, which means a lot more time available to write, even if I do need to take on some freelance work to bring in a little cash. Now, since I am, so far, unpublished, this could be daunting. Why should I think I will be able to sell anything in the future?
Well, first, hope springs eternal.
Second, my efforts to send out my work have really picked up. I used to send out something every fourth or fifth month. I don't know if I was afraid of success or of failure, but I wasn't making much effort to experience either one. In 2009, I submitted short stories 13 times, which averages out to more than once a month. Quite a step up for me when I have limited amounts of time to devote to this pursuit.
Third, as I've been saying in my query letters, the reactions of editors to my work has been improving. I used to get form rejections. Of the last four rejections I've gotten, three were personalized, and two have included invites to submit something else. The only thing better than that would be a sale!
Everybody SAYS the start of a new year is a chance to move toward what you really want out of life. That's probably why people make New Year's Resolutions. But changing what you are doing means forming new habits, and habits take time. So much easier to fall back into the old habits.
But I don't need to make new habits. I just need to continue what I've already been doing; perfecting my craft, and sending out my efforts. And in a week or two, I'll have more time to devote to that. Lucky me.
A writer needs to write, and keep writing, and then follow through. I'm looking forward to 2010, with all the promise it shows. I hope 2010 is a great year for you, also. See you next week. Trudy
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