Counting Down - Writing During 2012

So here it is, four days from the end of 2012, and what a year it's been.  It's been a year of blow-ups and broken friendships, followed by bridges made and new friendships forged. It's been a year of business hopes followed by hopes dashed - rinse and repeat and again, and again, and again. It's been a great year for my writing and for reading the work of other authors. My own artwork, however, has suffered a bit over the year...time just wasn't there for major projects.

Writing has been good for me this year. I've worked extremely hard to hone my writing skills and realize that it will be an on-going, lifelong process. After several years of help from the folks at the LC, I pulled away from them after the MEFA blow-up, feeling that distance was the wiser choice. I miss them and pop in now and again, but am still hesitant about diving back into those waters. I wrote more than sixty separate stories for B2ME Bingo in March, winning the first of my three Bingos with my Maglor in History stories. But I realized that I needed to improve my skills and started looking for ways to do that.

I took two different college courses in creative writing and read several books about creative writing, writing techniques, and editing. I read, and read and read some more.  I realize and admit that I am just as enamored by reading as I have ever been and dove into e-books with abandon this year. When I got a smartphone in the fall, I downloaded reading aps for that and now I read on both my NookColor and my phone constantly. I have expanded my readings and research into gay history and literature just for the fun of it. I have spoken and exchanged emails with a variety of friends about the craft of writing as well as general friendship stuff. Friends make everything worthwhile.

I have continued to write something every day as I have been doing for many years now. There were stories I wrote this year that really made me happy. My "Immortal Footsteps" arc for B2ME was a group of 16 stories that I really enjoyed writing and still like when I read them again. I was pleased with my Ardor in August story which pushed me into new directions in my writing in both subject matter and length. I was (and still am) over the moon to have my first short story accepted by an outside publisher. I got my Winner's certificate and a good start on my original novel by participating in NaNoWriMo in November. Two years ago I would never have considered participating in something like NaNo, but I loved the entire experience..

Now I'm writing in ways and working with themes that I would never have imagined as 2012 had started. I'm also self-editing with a much heavier hand and know that I still have to prune more to make living stories that will resonate. But I've grown as a writer and I'm damned happy about that. So much for today's reflections on "As the Year Ends"...