Year of Win Blog: 2011 in Review

Greetings!  Long time no, er, blog.

Ah yes, the break. I took one. I took a LOOONNNGG one. There’ve been a lot of changes in my life this year, so blogging slipped, slipped, slipped. I volunteered for a layoff from my old job a year ago (risky), found a new one in April (riskier), and worked hard to prove myself. I finished one manuscript and drafted another, that just went through first round beta-reads (some good, some bad, Que sera sera). My grandma fell ill, battled back, but now is confined to a full-time nursing facility. In short, it’s been a busy time.

But I’ve seen some great things this year. My friend Claire LeGrand got a book deal. So did Sarah Gilman. Teresa Frohock saw her debut novel come out. Lindsay Buroker found huge success in self-publishing. My cousin, writing as Casea Major, published a novella and two short stories, with a third pending. And it’s been a stellar year in YA publishing. I’ve read some amazing fiction this year: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Divergent, Red Glove, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Shatter Me, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer…the list goes on. Great fiction is coming out next year—sequels to those above, as well as The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Incarnate, and one I can’t wait for….Black Heart, by Holly Black. Totally a year of win.

For my own writing, I’ve kind of been through hell and back. Writer’s block, self-doubt, rejection …it’s been a real test of will. I’ve tried to quit a few times, if we’re being honest. Lucky for me, my husband is good at talking me off the ledge, as are a few friends, one of whom basically called me a chicken. Failure, struggle, pain—it’s part of this deal. Laurie Halse Anderson told me at a book signing, “it always takes longer than you think it will.” We have options—self-publishing is a real option—but if the dream is traditional publishing (or good success at self-publishing), you have to put the blood, sweat and tears into it. I expect backlash for saying this, but anyone can publish a book. You just need a Smashwords account and a word processing program. Not just anyone can write a good book, one that sticks with a reader. That takes work and struggle. Given a long time to examine my motives, I’ve finally come to understand that the reader reaction is the most important thing. Over time, maybe my writing will improve to the point that I touch a reader in a significant way. For now, I realize I have a hill to climb, but the reward is so great, and my need to write words is so deep, that I’ll keep going.

So, to everyone who climbed that hill with me in 2011, keep going. The struggle will bring you to a Win. Just keep going.

I’ve loved this experiment, celebrating wins with my fellow writer friends. For 2012, I’m going to do something a little different, though. I’m a word-nerd, grammar punk, so next year is the year of VERBS! Yes, that’s right, people…verbs. Stay tuned….

Thanks for reading. --Kendra