Every End Starts A New Beginning

Despite my long absence, I have not abandoned you all. I have been merely taking a long break. I have been reveling in the celebrations of graduation (mostly in my own head of course) and decided not to do anything remotely difficult for a while. Don't get me wrong - writing is as much fun as it is difficult, but it has been nice to not "think" about anything.

Since we're at the beginning of another year however, I feel the need to look back on things. Despite some huge difficulties with family and home, I consider 2009 to be a very successful year. Some of these things I've spoken about (such as graduating college and experiencing NaNo), but there are other things in my life that haven't made these pages.

My family has gone through some pretty tough times, but in the end its all been worthwhile. We lost our house, but we ended up with a better place than we had before. My wife had to leave her job, but she is able to do things now that she never could before. We've had plenty of financial troubles, but we're no longer struggling to make ends meet. So despite many hardships and hurdles thoughout the year, we've come out looking good on the other end.

I've found my love of writing, and although I was not able to complete NaNo, I enjoyed the journey anyway. I've learned how much I enjoy riding a motorcycle, no matter the danger inherent in that activity. I have realized how much I don't enjoy my job, but maybe someday I'll be able to change that too. I've also discovered how much I like having my wife at home, even if its for selfish reasons. I really like coming home to her warm hugs and loving kisses. If luck is with us, she will be done with her degree in a few years too and will be able to work from home. That would be the best gift yet, for both of us.

What do I have to look forward to in the upcoming year? Well, my NaNo fun has shown me that I can manage to write every single day, a new habit I am going to try to cultivate. I won't be holding myself to the rather stressful timeline of that experience, but I will attempt to at least get some words down each day.

Now that I have graduated, I am free to concentrate on other educational goals, such as learning to write better. I'm hoping to get involved in a local writing course and glean as much from it as possible. I considered the possibility of going for my Masters in Creative Writing, but two things stop me. First of all, its highly expensive and I would most likely have to get more student loans to pay for it. Once I obtained it though, I doubt it would be any more useful to me than not having one at all. I can see where a singular writing course however, would be immediately useful.

I'm done taking a vacation though, so you can expect more regular updates here. I do have a few people I'd like to thank however. Whether they knew it or not, they helped make my year fun and taught me more than they probably know. This list is in no way exhaustive (since I find myself learning something from just about everyone), but these people are at the top.

1. Screaming Guppy - The Guppster is one of my favs. Not only does she drink Diet Coke (extra points there), she is insightful and honest in her writing.
2. The Surly Writer - Michelle brings a smile to my face every time I read her stuff. She puts up with my comments and makes me envious with her exceptional writing skills.
3. The Literary Lab - Lady Glamis, Davin, and Scott are mentors in every sense of the word. I don't believe there has been a single post of theirs that didn't teach me something useful.
4. Lost Wanderer - The Wanderer is a true friend, even if she does leave me in awe at her ability to crank out the words. Sure, while the rest of us were struggling to make our daily amount, she was easily doing double. She is ever humble, however.
5. Elana Johnson - I would be completely remiss if I did not mention Elana. Not only has she put out the authoritative tome for writing queries, she consistently teaches us all how to maintain a fun demeanor while we struggle towards publication.
6. Imagineering Fiction - Galen Kindley is a scholar, a fellow veteran, and an accomplished author. I'm honored that he stops by from time to time and brightens my page.
7. One Word, One Rung, One Day - Travis is an enigma; how can one guy be so funny and write so well? While I doubt I'll ever be able to mirror his ability with dialogue, he inspires me to try anyway.

Since 7 is a lucky number, I'll stop there. There are a great many more of you I owe thanks to, but I don't want to tempt fate. If I didn't mention you, I hope you know that just about everyone I know in the writing world helps me all the time. I wish everyone out there a new year filled with successes, opportunities, and good times. Sure there will be tough moments, but trust me that eventually things work out right.