A Look Back on Writing in 2019 & 2020 Goals for Writing

Even though 2019 was a rough year, one thing I did really well was making sure I had time to write and I wrote. I did not write every day, but I definitely wrote several times every week. I had been trying that "treat it as a job" approach for over a year, but it wasn't working for me. It sucked all the passion out of writing and I felt guilty if I didn't write during the times I had set aside due to a migraine or whatever. So I decided to try the "I Will Write Every Week" approach. Basically, writing became my place to relax and unwind. I was still writing down times to write in my planner, but it wasn't a, "YOU MUST DO THIS OR YOU FAIL AS A WRITER" type mentality. It was more, "hey, look at all this time you have to write! I know there's a lot going on, but once you get done with the stuff you HAVE to do, look at this fun thing you GET to do." Just a shift in perception and it made all the difference. It also helped that I had/have my writing groups and open mics as deadlines keeping me accountable. This is what I succeeded at this past year:

• Wrote every week
• Wrote every day for November & surpassed the 50,000 word mark for NaNoWriMo
• Sent out one Short Story (It got rejected, but with some pointers on how to fix the story so I'm seeing that as a win)
• Set up and started a Grief Journaling Workshop at the Library
• Continued with the Writers' Word Feast
• Visited an open mic I wasn't running
• Ran The No Shush Salon open mic
• Finished my memoir & gathered readers

Here are my writing goals for 2020:

• Send my memoir to my readers (Edit: DONE)
• Continue writing every week
• Send out writing for publication at least once a month
• Visit other (not run by me) writing groups
• Visit other (not run by me) open mics
• After getting back feedback from readers about my memoir (March 1), Edit it
• Figure out what direction I want to go with my memoir & go there

The Last Day / Few Minutes of 40...

Today is the last day of my 40th year! 

Time to set some goals for the next year of my life.

40 Goals...

In no particular order...

Here goes!

1. Set up a regular Blogging schedule... and stick to it!
2. Finish all the short stories I currently have in the works
3. Send those stories off to be published
4. Get published? (Okay, so I have no control over this... but it is a goal!)
5. Finish my novel: The Jurisphere (working title) - hopefully this'll be the last draft... to be seen!
6. Work on my novel: Sister Stitch-Witch
7. Clean my room (Come on, with a list of 40, I gotta have some easy ones! Sadly, this is not that.)
8. Research getting an MLIS degree
9. Run the No Shush Salon
10. Take myself out for writing dates more often 
11. Begin a writers' group
12. Get a bunny... maybe?
13. Foster more kittens
14. Visit my family!
15. Snuggle ALL the furry creatures living in my house!!!
16. Get a new car... maybe?
17. Learn illustration to a satisfactory degree
18. Illustrate the Stanley stories
19. Work on my Spanish
20. Read LOTS of books
21. Watch LOTS of movies
22. Study Science (For Science!)
23. Sew stuff
24. Get another tattoo or add to one of the ones I've already got
25. Set up a writing schedule
26. Go camping
27. Try new foods
28. Write at least one note of appreciation each month
29.  Learn more about trees
30. Organize my sock drawer
31. Get a drawer for my socks
32. Help with finishing the Death Metal Kitchen
33. Do more rituals
34. Meditate
35. Begin a podcast for Ninyx Natterings Presents
36. Join a gym (YMCA?) with a swimming pool
37. Research different librarian career paths
38. Play the Harp again
39. Go kayaking
40. Invent teleportation 

Notes on The Humor panel at the World Fantasy Convention

Over the weekend (Nov. 1-4), I was given the opportunity to go to World Fantasy Convention Toronto, Canada. This was an AWESOME present from my best friend!!! I met and reconnected with so many people and learned so much!

The Humor in Fantasy Panel was the first one I went to. I'm so glad I did! Here are my notes about the insight that spoke to me:

(I don't have the program with me, so I'll fill in the details later.)


Humor in Fantasy

"Humor often defines who we are."  ~ Tanya Huff
"[writing is] sharing a dream with someone you have never met."  ~ Sarah Beth Durst

Laughing with characters you love
Humor can start with the premise and/or it can come in the editing process... word choices based on "is it funny?"

Some forms of humor:

• Situational
• Premise
• Unexpected or "pie in the face"
• discovery - giving the audience something they can perceive before the the character gets it.
• banter
• unintentional character revelation - done usually through dialogue
• splash of the absurd
• embarrassment
• coping mechanism

BALANCE - do not sacrifice what feels true for what's funny

Be aware that to a certain extent, much humor is generational
Universal humor is much harder to attain, but carries through the years

Make sure the humor doesn't deflate the tension/stakes of the scene
(be sparing with humor that makes fun of the characters)

Be aware of:

• Where there is the anticipation of humor (from the characters or the audience) and use it!!
• Humor that makes the reader uncomfortable so you can decide if that's what you want to do
• how humor can create a bond with the reader

Symphony of humor....

• sprinkling the humor throughout
• pacing it appropriately throughout the piece... i.e. a little Oboe goes a long way!!

Humor often comes from the outsider viewpoint. Since Fantasy / SciFi is already looking at the world askew, it's often a good match.

Draw from the people who make you laugh. inspiration