My New Year's resolution for 2013 was to write a complete second draft of a novel because that's something I've never done; I've written one novel first draft a year during National Novel Writing Month since 2006, but I never edited them.

Well, 2013 was a bit of a failure in that regard. I didn't write one second draft.

What I did was draft four novels in a series.

It's been a very strange year for me. 2012 was a horrible year, arguably the lowest point of my life. In 2013, through a combination of life changes (diet and exercise and cutting out the negative influences in my life) and gradual rediscovery of old beloved pastimes (sewing, photography, hiking, biking, writing) I've gotten back to the mental and physical health I had in college. That has been a beautifully productive thing, and I credit a lot of it to this series.

The reason I stuck with this story was because I made one big change in my writing habits: instead of just daydreaming and not getting anything but short stories down, I started a writing journal. Now, I can't even count the teachers and professors who told me to do this ages ago in creative writing classes. I never had the patience or the routine down to make this work. But now I have one thing: a 30 minute work break spent entirely alone. 5 days a week: just me and my journal. Some days I just freewrite about how I have no ideas, and then that gets boring so I think outside the box. Some days I get so excited I plot out entire novels and character arcs, and then I go home and work on my chapters. Instead of letting ideas slip from my brain, I anchored them on the page, and now here I am.

I completed book 1, Nomad, at the end of July. This was my first novel ever completed outside of NaNoWriMo. I finished book 2, Deadhouse, on November 1st of this year, and wrote two novels, Frostbite and Breakdown, for NaNo'13. This is what they look like (...on my unmade bed, sorry) all printed out for me to peruse and annotate on my aforementioned work break.

Because I already have my New Year's Resolution for 2014: I'm going to write second drafts for four novels. And I think I'm actually going to have something to celebrate December 31st, 2014.

Well, here goes-#1 of my 365 project.

Happy New Year all!

My list is blank, as I can't think of any year where I have ever made a resolution-maybe it should be to finish this project lol.

What's your New Year's resolution?

View On Black

Tabs (made from paper swatches) outline the eight areas I'm working on this year: juicy living, growth, connections (tiers 1 and 2), plenty, wellness, artmaking, and environment.

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Inspired by Lisa Sonora Beam's Goal Setting for Creatives

This is for the Log Your Memory.com LogBook Challenge #1 for 2011

I used the list from the Logbook for the "Annual Checkup" (my word for 2011 is "fabulous")

Journaling:

One year from today, I hope to have learned how to better my writing style. One year from today, I hope to have figured out how to be fabulous every second of the day. One year from today, I hope to have completed a year of daily yoga. One year from today, I hope to have stopped my internet addiction. One year from today, I hope to have started healing my fibromyalgia. One year from today, I hope to have acquired a sense of gratefulness for the little things. One year from today, I hope to have given up anything that is not fabulous. One year from today, I hope to have visited at least one really fabulous beach. One year from today, I hope to have left behind any and all baggage from my thirties as I finish my first year of being forty. January 2011

Template: Creative Outlet1 by TaylorMade (Oscraps)

Kit: Note to Self Add-On by BioGraffiti (Oscraps)

Fonts: Century Gothic, Pea Bailey

Thanks for looking!

Love ya!!!

xoxo

Blogged at julieannshahin.blogspot.com

~ Macro Mondays ~

Theme: New Year's resolutions

January 04, 2010

My dusty sewing machine will definitely get some more attention this year.

Question 30: Help the Library write its New Year's Resolutions! "In 2013 we will_______"

January 2: I'm getting a slow start putting pen to paper with resolutions for 2009. It's something I always do, not so much because I expect to KEEP the resolutions--but it's a way of touching bases, seeing where I am and where I'd like to get to. My dear friend Ruthanne in Weymouth, Mass., sent me this journal for Christmas (my only Christmas present), and I've been delaying writing her a thank-you note until I sit down with it and spend some time. I was just about to do that when I thought, no, I really must post my Day 2 pictures. Immediately! Ah, but now I'm done with that, and so it's time to sit and ponder my life a bit.