Thursday Thirteen #41 “Hallows Declarations of Intent”
Now I know for many of you the new year comes the first of January, but for people of the Dianic tradition and many others who have ties to Celtic heritage the festival on October 31st marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the new year. Within my own Cherokee heritage this time of year is also seen as a time to turn inward, to prepare for the coming winter and for a time of dark and quiet when families come together to tell stories and to suggle safe from the cold. For these reasons and more I find this time of year a comforting time to look within and seek the paths I wish to take in the coming year.
1) November 1st marks the start of Nanowrimo, and as the first day of the new year this seems a good time to begin something fresh. I have stepped away from my paranormal series and novels I usually work on to begin the fantasy series I’ve been threatening to create. I did have another attempt on this one I almost finished a couple years back, but I’ve learned so much since then that it’s been set aside to be totally pulled apart and reworks in later stories in the series. This first book , Path of the Huntress, will mark the origin tale of the main character and through her the readers will get to know each of the other prime characters through the series.
2) I will not only finish the 50k for Nano, but I intend to complete the first draft of Path of the Huntress this next year and do a large core of editing as well. I doubt I will submit the novel next year since it will be a big word count and I’ll need time away before each new edit to clean it up properly. Another reason I don’t want to draw too much focus on this new series is that I have two series that will have their first books on the market this year, and I don’t want to distract myself too much from those. Perhaps when the trilogy (The Daughters of the Goddess) is completed, then I can start submitting the fantasy series without feeling too pulled thin.
3) Speaking of the series I have going, I plan to not only see Ancestral Magic on the shelves this next year, but to complete editing on it’s sequel, Shadow Magic. I have one more set of beta notes I am waiting for, and if all goes well, the manuscript should head off to the publisher by the first week or so of November.
4) Also on the topic of my current series, next year early I am expecting the edits to come down for Natural Order, the first in the Daughters of the Goddess trilogy. I found it’s easiest to begin of the sequel for a book just after I do the edits of it processor, so at that time I will finish the first draft of book two, currently with the working title of Natural Rebirth. I figure if I keep this schedule of working on the next book as I edit the one before it, it will keep me from falling behind on the series without feeling pressured away from side projects I enjoy.
5) On the topic of side projects, I have started to send in short stories to anthology calls and continue to do so into the next year. Not only does each anthology contracted bring in a flat free for the story, but the extra exposure will hopefully bring me new readers.
6) I’ve been enjoying the posts I’ve done at my Dreamtime Writers Workshop blog and I plan to continue my work there. Depending on what happens regarding side jobs to help the family money wise, will also decide the amount of posting I do, as well as the amount of fiction writing. If I am not working outside the home on a day, that day I am writing full time. One a day that I have cash work outside the home, my writing that day will be lessoned. This seems the best way to do it without stressing me out too bad.
7) Money may not allow this to happen in full this year, but I intend on looking into the possibility of school. There is part of me that resents doing little more than minimum wage jobs instead of my writing, a selfish thought for certain. I’ve been thinking if I could get education that will allow me to do something I like, or that I felt helped folks rather than just put cash in some CEO’s pocket, I think the selfish resentment would be far less. If I could get a degree that would allow me to use my writing to make a living in some way, that would be perfect. There’s a lot of things to think about as far as going back to school, so I’ll have to see what of my previous credits transfer from almost two decades ago, and what program would suit me best.
8) I want to be healthier. I was doing well until the past few money when money troubles have forced us to go back to more budget friendly dishes that are high carps and such. My plan is to learn more cooking, and preplan meals better so I can fins ways to save money and still get healthier foods. We’re still eating healthier than we have in years past, but the money crunch has downgraded the good meals we’d been doing earlier in the year and through the summer. More organization might help the most, allowing us to by the dry and canned stuff in bulk so we have more for smaller store runs for perishables.
9) By next spring I want to get a decent bike. I know gas prices have gone down a lot, in fact this morning I saw a place that had regular gas at $2.29 9/10. Now bad at all, and during the cold months having a car is preferable (since we are down to one car, I am really hoping this one doesn’t have problems), but it’d be worth the added health, environmental, and money saving benefits to get a used bike at least for next year. I’m hard to fit, and no way to afford the $700 women’s bike I’d like, but finding something would be great. I could use it for library tips and grocery stops, those sorts of close errands. As I got more used to riding I might take it further and further.
10) Read more. Not research. That’s most of what I read lately except for the titles I was lucky enough to read for my Eppie judging. I want to read more for the sure pleasure of it. I know I can’t afford to buy a lot of new books (even though there are some great ones coming this year), but the more I read the better a writer I will become. I really believe that. I lucky have a bunch of new books I’ve won from a couple contests this past year, and some I’ve bought so I’ve got those to work with, and if I’m lucky (most times I’m not as lucky) I’ll get some great reads through the publisher slush piles I am reading for.
11) Cash issues will limit some of my marketing options for the books(s) coming out this year, but I want to at least make it to Wiscon and Oddcon (both of which are local), and GCLS literary conference which is in Florida this year. I have several people to pay off before I can start saving for these ($$ owed to friend for laptop, hotel free owed to another friend, and I still have to pay publisher for these copies of Chilling Tales I got to sell at events) conventions. Most of the rest of my marketing will need to be online or local, but that’s okay. Every little bit helps, and I am shameless when it come to promoting other writer’s work, so I’m likely to be just as tenacious when it come to my own.
12) Speaking of promotion, I still have several copies of Chilling Tales of Terror and the Supernatural if folks are wanting autographed copies (signed my me at least :) ). Great scary gifts for the holidays. $16 per copy, with $5 shipping for USPS priority mail. International shipping cost will vary depending on where you live. If you are looking for one of these, and I am hoping you are, email me at (moondancerdrake@gmail.com) and I can send them out in next days mail.
13) Okay, stepping away from money issues and shameless self promotion, this next year will also be my year for personal organization as well. With more time demanded of me professionally I will also need to carve out my daily spiritual time to balance the energy spent out. This means other in the house will need to take more responsibility for their own crap and not assume I will handle it all. Chore charts will be done, and with my children soon to be 10 and 6, they can take on more responsibility around the house than they do now. No more giving in and doing myself out of aggravation.
Well, there are my decorations of intent for the next year, allow with my hopes that the wind of change will bring good news and healthy prosperity for all of us in the coming year. Things have been hard on all of us, so may from this moment on thing only rise up and improve for the better.
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