Beatrice Writes

2009 Wrap-up

This post is part of a blog chain through the Absolute Write writers forums. Find the other participants here:

Lost Wanderer – http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
Claire Crossdale – http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/
coryleslie – http://corrinejackson.wordpress.com/
bsolah – http://benjaminsolah.com/blog
DavidZahir – http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/
RavenCorinnCarluk – http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com
Ralph Pines – http://ralfast.wordpress.com/
shethinkstoomuch – http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com
Lady Cat – http://www.randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com
truelyana – http://expressiveworld.com
misaditas – http://misaditas-novels.blogspot.com/
collectonian –http://collectonian.livejournal.com/632314.html
laharrison – http://lesleyharrison.wordpress.com/
beawhiz – https://beawrites.wordpress.com
razibahmed – http://www.blogging37.com
FreshHell – http://freshhell.wordpress.com
AlissaC – http://alissacarleton.blogspot.com
Aimee – http://writing.aimeelaine.com

Dear 2009,

It’s been a good year, hasn’t it? We had good times! There was that cruise to the Bahamas. The ocean on the cruise line’s private island was the bluest I’ve ever seen. I loved hanging out in a hammock on the island. The food was so good that I’ll remember it for a long time. I won’t miss that tiny cabin, though.

There was a  trip to Alabama, too.I love spending time with my aunt and my mother. They’re my heroes, the wild, succulent women in my life. My aunt taught me that I should be celebrating my uncle’s life instead of mourning him continuously this time around.

There were some short road trips, too–mostly to see family in Tennessee and Ohio. I welcomed two new members to the family, but then said goodbye to one. I’m sad that I’ll never get to know his sweet face, but grateful that he won’t have to live his life in pain. I’ll never regret those trips to see him.

There were learning experiences! BlogHer was this little light at the end of the tunnel for most of the year. My bestie mentioned it to me at the beginning of the year and as mentioned in a previous post, convinced me to go. It was worth every penny I spent and every second I was there. I’ll never consider blogging frivolous again. Bloggers change the world.

There was geekiness abounding! My parents had a Star Trek party, complete with Klingon blood worms and Andorian tapeworms. My cousin made t-shirts for everyone, and there was even an ice cream cake. We bounced into the theater flaunting our geekiness. It was one of the best times I had all year.

I also attended DragonCon where I learned that I am much less geeky than I thought, and have mad social skills. I got to hear Leonard Nimoy speak, had Patrick Stewart increase my already stellar opinion of him, and met two authors that I admire–Peter S. Beagle and Diana Gabaldon. I think the best thing that came out of DragonCon was that my dad found a new hobby–making Steampunk jewelry. Hopefully he’ll have his Etsy store set up soon and I’ll post pictures and links.

There were new friends. Namely my lovely friend Rachael that I met on Twitter before I ever met her in real life. She’s a sister from another mister! There was also the marvelous GeekBoy, my boyfriend of 3 months.

There was creating! From the beginnings of a novel to personal essays and even a query, I believe I was more prolific this year than I have been in my entire writing career. I submitted a story, an essay, a poem, and a query for publication this year. Submissions are something I had never tried before this year. I don’t know if I was too scared, too insecure, or just not ready. I received either no response or rejection so far. I was concerned that it would keep me from submitting again, but I know that I just have to find the right market. I got paid for the first time for writing this year. It was such an exciting event to get the notice for the first time, to know that someone liked my writing well enough to pay for it. I hope I will never lose that excitement.

I was also more prolific in my knitting/crochet than I have been in the past. I owe that to the spectacular ladies of my weekly knitting group. We’re a very eclectic group of varying ages. We had some older ladies for a while, but they’ve been taking classes and we haven’t seen most of them for a few months. We’re mostly 20s and 30s ladies, some with families, some just with significant others who love to knit. We take any kind of fiber arts lovers, actually. We geek out over knitting, Harry Potter, and whatever else comes up in our conversation on a weekly basis. These ladies are women that I would do anything for and who I could count on in a tight spot. They’re my closest friends, and I wouldn’t give them up for all the money in the world!

It’s been a fantastic year! I can’t wait to see what next year holds.

Sincerely,

B