Half Our Writing Year Is Gone

Are your days, weeks and months flying by as fast as mine? It seems we were celebrating New Year's Day only a whiff of days ago. Now, half the year has galloped past me. As I sipped my morning coffee, I thought about what I've accomplished in my writing life during this half year. 

I looked at my 2017 Submissions record and compared it to 2016. I had submitted almost twice the number during the first six months of last year as I have this year. Shame on me! That's the thought that ran through my mind. I need to ponder a bit to figure out the why part here. 

Then, I considered how many new pieces of writing I have accomplished this half of 2017. There have been some but not as many as I'd like. Several ideas for personal essays are tumbling in my mind on a daily basis but I haven't written that all-important first draft yet. 

More coffee, more thinking! Time to consider the positive side of what the past six months have brought. What good things have I done? There were enough to make a list:

• I've written posts for my blog five days a week
• I've reviewed several books for other writers
• I've attended a writing conference
• I received an acceptance from an anthology
• I've fulfilled my commitment to my online critique group with subs and crits
• I've written a few new pieces
• I've revised and polished some old writing
• I've counseled another writer

I know what I need to work on from July through December to accomplish some of those goals I set for myself in early January. I also know that I had lots of positives this year and hope to continue. 

How about you? Have a cup of coffee, or whatever is your favorite beverage, and consider what you have accomplished regarding writing this first six months of 2017. What could you have done better? Not one of us is perfect so we're all going to have two sides to this question. If the negative side is longer than the positive, don't beat yourself up over it. A little self-chastising never hurts, but don't go overboard. Give some thought to why you did or didn't get certaine things done.

The best part of an assessment like this is that you have six more beautiful months of 2017 to rectify the wrongs and add to the rights. Say good-bye to June and hello to a brand new month and write on.

Five Years For Writers

Our grandson, Cole, turned five on Saturday. A family friend made his cool birthday cake pictured above. I got to thinking about what Cole has accomplished in his five years. He learned to sleep through the night, roll over, sit up, crawl, walk and run. He figured out how to eat from a spoon, chew solids and eat a variety of foods, both healthy and not-so-healthy ones. He can write his name, count to 20 and more, recognizes most of the letters in the alphabet. He learned to play soccer, has the basics of swimming and can fish. Quite a lot of learning for five short years.

How about you? What have you accomplished in your writing life in the past five years? Would your list be as long as Cole's? Writers need to keep learning and grow just like infants who  become kids. What if you started writing and never moved from stage one?

2006 was five years ago. What have you written in that period of time? Have you had anything published? Have you increased the amount of time you spend writing? Or has it gotten less and less? Look back at something you wrote five years ago. Do you consider yourself a better writer today?

I know that Cole will keep growing and learning over the next five years. How about your writing life? Will you keep growing and learning during that amount of time? Take a look back over the last five years and then make a list of what you hope to accomplish in the next five. Don't get stuck in 2011.