2012 was a very productive year for me. I generated a lot of new drafts. My chapbook was accepted at Finishing Line Press. I won two poetry prizes. I published two pieces of flash fiction. I published eighteen poems in print and online. I wrote memoir for the first time. I started a fiction critique group. I started learning kung fu. I did The Artist’s Way. I went to the beach. I completed a cycle of abecedarian sonnets.
My word for 2012 was trust. Trusting myself to take risks. Trusting myself to make mistakes. It paid off.
This year, I’m picking a writing-focused word. 2013 will be the Year of Revision. I write a lot. I’m good at drafting. But there are too many half-finished pieces lying around on my computer. So this year, I’m committing to revision over production. I’m going to focus on rewriting and finishing things. Yes, I’ll still be generating new work (if I didn’t, I’d have nothing to revise!). But the focus this year will be on honing and completing.
So revision is the focus, but here’s a rundown of what I plan for 2013.
In 2013, I will:
- Finally finish my one-act play
- Find a home for “Mitzvah”
- Go back to West Texas
- Get a mentor for my poetry collection
- Work my poetry manuscript every day
- Take my camera with me more often
- Learn photo editing
- Figure out what role dance plays in my current artistic life. Then dance.
- Get my poetry festival off the ground. Setbacks be damned.
- Learn to make tortillas from scratch
- Be patient. Art always takes longer than I think it will.
- Teach more writing workshops
May your 2013 be busy in a good way. May it be fruitful. May it be filled with wonderful people and experiences and food. Good luck.