2012 Writing Hits and Misses

As promised in my last post, here is a list of my significant writing accomplishments for 2012.

In addition to my successes, I've included notes about submissions that didn't make the mark.

 

Contest Wins

1st Place: 2 essays, 3 short stories

Erma Bombeck Global Humor Writing Contest: “Honey, Can I Borrow Your Garter Belt?”

CCMWG Nonfiction Contest: “The Magic of Writing”

 

MWG President’s Short Story Award: “Under the Bottle Tree”

Coffee and Critique Contest: “Sins of the Daughter”

OWL Mystery Short Story “Sins of the Daughter”

 2nd Place: 1 flash fiction, 1 blog post

MWG Conference /Saturday Writers Flash Fiction Contest: “A Lovely Shade of Pink”

MWG Conference/KC Writers Blog Post Contest: “Writing Tips from a Contest Judge”

3rd Place: 1 essay, 1 memoir

OWL Essay Contest “Twice Blessed”

OWL Memoir Contest “The Latin Book”

 HM:  1 essay

CCMWG Nonfiction Contest: “A Fine Day in November”

 

Note: Three contests I entered (Highlights, Green River Writers, and Springfield Writers Guild) didn't garner any wins at all. In addition to my wins at OWL and MWG, a few entries in different contest categories did not receive recognition. 

 

Publications (doesn't include book reviews and author interviews)

Articles: 2

“Writing Tips from a Contest Judge” on Walrus Publishing Website

 “All About Writing” in MWG Newsletter

Essays: 3

“Take Your Clothes Off and Other Critique Group Advice” on WOW! Women on Writing Friday Speak Out

“The Magic of Writing” in Well Versed Anthology

“A Fine Day in November” in Well Versed Anthology

True Stories: 2

“A Just Man” true story w/photograph in Life Lessons from Dad

“Unexpected Joy” reprint in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Gift of Christmas

Short Stories: 5

“Keeping the Faith” in Cactus Country II

“Look Back, But Don’t Stare” reprint in Writing on Walls Anthology

“Time to Get Your Jingle On” in Fifty Shades of Santa

“Canned Beets” reprint in Cuivre River 10^th Anniversary Anthology

“Stairway to Heaven” in Shadows after Midnight

Recipe/with accompanying story: 1

 “Donna’s Hot Glow Wine” recipe and story behind the recipe on Panera Bread Co. Website 

 

Note: I submitted a few other essays to anthologies last year. At least one of the anthologies was published in 2012 without my submission, so I missed the mark there. I'm still waiting for the results of the others. 

 

 

Professional Activities

 

January:

Panelist for “The Story Behind Saturday Writers” at Saturday Writers meeting

Spoke on “Beyond Networking: The Importance of Building Relationships with Other Writers” at Catholic Writers of St. Louis meeting

February:

Open Mic Reading at Sage Books in St. Charles

March:

Presentation “Think Outside the Book: How Writing Short Stories Can Get Your Work Noticed” to Sisters in Crime (St. Louis Chapter)

 

April:

Read “Honey Can I Borrow Your Garter Belt?” at Washington-Centerville Public Library in Ohio

Special Guest at Erma Bombeck Workshop at University of Dayton, Ohio

May:

Read at Launch Party of Well Versed in Columbia, MO

July:

Attended marketing presentation by Liguori Publications at Catholic Writers of St. Louis Meeting

August:

Interviewed by Jennifer Brinker of the St. Louis Review for Feature “The Pen is a Mighty Sword” about Catholic writers in St. Louis

October:

Evergreen Cemetery Tour/staff discussion in Bloomington, IL, with All Saints Writers Group in preparation for AS 190^th anniversary heritage celebration

November:

Workshop presentation on “Structuring Short Stories for Passion and Profit” at the CCMWG Write Direction Conference in Columbia

December:

Participated in “Chicken Soup for the Soul, Canned Soup for the Body” book signing at The Book House on Manchester Rd.

 

Note: I didn't include my critique group or writing meetings.

 

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While I'm pleased with my accomplishments, the intent of this post is to offer encouragement to other writers and show how the time spent writing and submitting eventually pays off -- and there's always room for improvement.

 

How about you? Any significant writing accomplishments you're particularly pleased with last year?

 

 

Declutter/Enhance: A Different Approach to my Writing Life

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s 2013.

Last year was a productive one for me --- I think because of something I decided to do early in 2012 --- to change the approach to my writing career.

My intent was to declutter my writing life while enhancing it. The plan was to focus on what I enjoyed doing or what improved my bottom line and eliminate activities that created anxiety rather than fulfillment.

With only 24 hours in each day, I knew something had to give.

First, I scaled back on book reviews and author interviews. While I love to read and discover new authors, doing so took away from my personal writing time, so I took on fewer freelance assignments. Understandably, my income from that revenue stream decreased, but my personal writing time increased.

With my newly “discovered” time, I submitted to more markets. While I had my fair share of rejections, I also enjoyed a measure of success. I also entered more contests and happily won a few --- including one big one in the spring.

Next, I cut back on social media time. My blog posts decreased from 184 in 2011, to 117 in 2012. Strangely, my page views during 2012 more than doubled, and for a few months, they almost tripled. The largest increases in page visits occurred after I won first place in the Global Humor Category of the Erma Bombeck writing competition and when I was interviewed in the St. Louis Review. The drawback is that I haven’t visited blogs of my friends as much as I’d like.

Lastly, one of my goals for 2012 was to be a more engaged member of the writing community. This meant participating in readings, speaking to groups, and tapping into the spiritual side of my writing life. While this wasn’t a money-making venture, it has been gratifying. I’ve renewed friendships with writing friends and met some amazing new writers. One surprising benefit has been activities with my parish writing group. Although we are small, we share some lofty ambitions, including writing scripts for our parish’s 190^th anniversary heritage celebration in 2013.

Overall, I believe my declutter/enhance approach has worked, and I plan to continue along the same path in 2013, with a few modifications. I will still blog and visit blogs of friends, although not as often as I’d like. With rare exceptions, I am taking a break from book reviews and author interviews. I plan to get outside more, spend time with friends and family, and see more of the world -- which should give me even more to write about!

Later this week I will post the fruits of my 2012 writing labors, broken down by: Professional Activities, Nominations/Awards, and Publications.

For me, this new approach has been a positive experience. How about you? Have you made any changes that have benefitted your writing life or personal life?