I had a lot of ups and downs last year. Some pretty major ones, too.
Rob and I went to a few more conventions–smaller, regional cons–and Myke Cole introduced us to quite a few people–his agent, other authors, some SFWA board members. Myke’s been a strong influence; talking with him at cons, and one of his blog posts, got me really excited about my writing and finishing the draft I’d been working on. After those first couple cons in February and March, I gave myself a deadline for finishing the draft–August 13–and I finished just before July 4. Revisions are going slow, but I’m planning on amping that up soon.
Rob and I had our one year anniversary in August. We took a trip up to Bangor, to do research for my story, and it was fantastic. And Rob got me the Box of Awesome.
Like I said, some really good ups.
Then, September. Just after Rob’s birthday (9-11. Yeah.) my mom went into the ER. Two of my aunts had driven to her house (six hours for one, three for the other) to take her to the hospital. It was an intestinal blockage that would require an operation.
I talked to her just before she was taken in for it.
Things seemed to go okay; the surgery went well, and she was sedated for a few days. She came out of the sedation, and I talked to her again. But a day or two later, she was having trouble and was sedated again. Her condition went up and down a lot.
Then the end of September, my aunt called. The doctor said we needed to be there to say our goodbyes.
October 1, at 4:20 pm, my mom passed away.
The weekend after I got back to Ct was New York Comic Con. Rob asked if we were still going, or if we would cancel. I said I needed to go.
It was a good thing. I met Peter S. Beagle, and that made the entire weekend worth it. And my awesome friends, too.
Then more awesome-Rob and I went to Texas for Christmas, and we stayed with my younger sister and her family. I adore them. The trip was so relaxing and fun. And we boxed up the stuff I got from my mom, and some I’d left, and we drove back.
Since I needed a new car, I got that. So we drove it back. It’s a convertible, so not my first choice, but it’s a really nice car. We decided to drive through the middle of the country, with a brief stop in Missouri.
We’ve been looking at that area and wanted to get a feel for it. We spent most of a day with Julie Butcher, and had dinner with her, her brother, and her sister-in-law, and we spent most of the night talking with her and her middle daughter. She’s very much awesome. Told us where we should look for houses and what sort of jobs are available in the area.
I didn’t really want to leave. The streets there are kinda wonky, but I like the place. Spread out like San Angelo or Bangor, and seasons and tress.
We stopped in New Jersey for New Years and stayed the night with Shecky and Sue, and then drove the rest of the way home.
I was kinda sad to be home, but Skittles was happy. Once he got over being scared(All it took was petting him with one of those brush glove things).
As for resolutions, I had two in 2012. 1. Exercise; 2. Write.
I sorta exercised. I never managed to get enough momentum to keep myself going, but I made some improvements. I bought a new treadmill and used it somewhat consistently, at least until the end of September, and just never managed to get the habit set again. Short weeks, holidays, and traveling really screw with me when I’m trying to get the habit going.
So, new year, new treadmill, new time to start again. And oh, do I need it. Two weeks out of work and most of that sitting in a car, and I felt weak going up and down stairs. The back pain is a really strong motivator. I made it go away before; I want to do that again.
The other one, writing? Worked out very well. I gave myself a general goal-2500 words a week. I was pretty consistent with that, aside from the couple months just after finishing my draft and in December. Overall, I finished a second draft of my manuscript. I started a rough draft of the sequel.
This year’s goal is a bit more concrete. Revise the first manuscript; finish the rough of the second. Try for a polished short. These are all doable. I’ll give myself a deadline after I talk it over with Rob.
I’m starting the year well; I’ve been cleaning and organizing my room and computer so that I have fewer distractions. The process is slow, but it’s going.
And so far, things are going pretty well.
