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| IWSG |
In this particular case, the first of April is a special day for a lot of swell people here in the blog-o-sphere, in that today kicks off the 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge.
On a personal note, while I participated last year, this year I am not. Last year, I had all kinds of time to prepare for it and all kinds of posts lined up for it. This year, real life has horned its way in to my blog life to such an extent that it was simply impossible for me to find even the time to devote to such an undertaking, let alone trying to come up with a theme or blog posts.
So for today's post, I thought I would reflect on where I was in 2014 at this juncture, versus where I am for 2015, if only to see what kind of progress I've made during that one year span. Basically, did I meet my exacting standards from last year to this year, or has everything been a bust?
On April 1st, 2014, I was gearing up for the A-Z challenge and trying to find a way to pimp...umm...market my commercial debut novel "Line 21". I had all kinds of blog posts written as it applied to my writing journey and I even had a special post devoted just to my debut novel. I wasn't doing much in the way of writing I don't think, but maybe I was. I'm not entirely sure, as I was pretty much floating from project to project, trying to find something that would resonate/stick with me.
So overall, I was feeling purty good about myself.
Fast forward one year.
For the next twelve months, I experienced a seismic shift in my writing. In June of last year, I regained the rights to my commercial debut, then spent the next three months doing the following: holding a contest for a new title; buying a new cover; and formatting the novel for both e-book and print release. Around November of last year, I managed to settle down on a couple of writing projects, and worked on them in fits and starts until Spring 2015. Currently I'm re-working a short story into another novella that would part & parcel of trilogy that is 2/3 completed.
So on April 1st, 2015, I just finished getting all the parts in place to do another e-book release of my novella. I finally was able to come up with a new title for this manuscript; received feedback from a beta-reader and applied a few of the suggestions that were made; wrote a dedication, acknowledgement and a where-I-can-be-found; and added an excerpt to my first novel as well. All that is left is to get it formatted and get a cover.
So overall, I'm still feeling purty good about myself. 2015 has been a little different from 2014 so far, but I believe that the course I'm following is good one. And as the old cliché goes, only time will tell how 2015 with ultimately shake out.
(c) 2015 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved.
Onwards and upwards!
ReplyDeleteYes indeedy doody!
DeleteHi, I have done the A to Z Challenge just once (last year) and found it too taxing. Good luck on the e-book release of your novella.
ReplyDeleteRachna Chhabria
Co-host IWSG
Rachna's Scriptorium
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
DeleteYeah, it definitely was that and thanks.
Your focus shifted from last year. But now you have a couple of books to show for it, and that's good!
ReplyDeleteYes, it definitely did shift and that was a very good thing indeed.
DeleteSounds like you are having a great 2015 so far! Nice to hear :)
ReplyDeleteI hope the good times continue to roll, and wish you a fantastic writing-year!
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the compliment.
Delete2015 has been pretty tiring so far.
ReplyDeleteSame here, to a certain degree.
DeleteGlad you are still feeling good! You have reason to ;) I wish for 2015 to be very successful for you.
ReplyDeleteThankee young lady. :D
DeleteI only did the A to Z Challenge that one time, too. I only got one regular reader from it and she was someone I was acquainted with anyway. :) It's kind of a chore, but I considered it a fun chore, but like you - not much time to put into it now. It's all I can do to make sure I visit around friends' blogs.
ReplyDeleteI picked up a few new regulars from last year, as they pop up from time to time to comment. I admit, it was a blast to do, but skipping a year was definitely the right thing to do.
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