The new year is coming! Let's celebrate. Here's a great post for writers on creating resolutions, and here's a great post on keeping those resolutions. I'm working on my list, although it's really more of a list of deadlines. I'm going to post my two big ones here to motivate me to finish!- July 2012, finish solo revisions and editing on Silent Raven so I can toss the manuscript around a critique group. (Also, I'm hoping to find a Beta Reader by then. I'm not yet sure how to go about doing that.)
- Completely finish and send Silent Raven (my work-in-progress) out on its first round of submissions by Jan. 1, 2014, so I can begin my next project.
In other news, the Lakeport library will be holding an exercise class on Friday, Jan. 12th. A certified instructor will be giving a "Joint Check Warm-Up and Cool-Down" for the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program. This free class will be for men and women and will run from 2-3PM. Wear loose-fitting, comfy clothing if you go. (Lucky me, I haven't got arthritis!)
And speaking of library events, the candy-making class was great. The instructor, Amy Patton, taught us several easy microwave recipes. Fudge, butterscotch and caramel candies, chocolate and non-chocolate recipes galore. Oh, how I love the library.
Photo Attribution:
By Kabelleger / David Gubler (http://www.bahnbilder.ch). (Own work : http://bahnbilder.ch/picture/7697.) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I am a very bad accountability buddy, but my goal for 2013 is to begin, and finish, the third book in my trilogy (I self-pubbed Semper last January, Forsada will be published January 13, and the third book has a plot and vague outline but no title and zero word count). This book, I have a feeling, might take 18 months rather than the 12 the first two books each took.
ReplyDeleteAs to beta readers, you find them by asking people whose opinions you respect. Plan on asking 10 to get 2 or 3 readers. They must be people who are not your spouse or mother... those two are only allowed to give you validation, not critique. I learned that the hard way. And you must not ask your children. They are incapable of being anything other than critical to their parents. But at least it's honest and innocent criticism.
Hi Peter,
ReplyDeleteI noticed your cover release for Forsada. Congrats, it looks awesome! I hope you got to take some time to celebrate. I'll be watching to see if you complete your goal for 2013 :)
Aha! Thank you for that definition of beta readers. I need to start my search soon. I've heard they're absolutely valuable.
-Christy