Friday, December 17, 2010

The Year Winding Down

As the year is winding down I decided to look over my ‘goals’ list I make every January to see if I’d stuck to my plan this year. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that for the most part I had. A couple things were tweaked because the first book in a series I was working on didn’t sell, but I wrote another one so it equaled the number of single titles I wanted to finish this year. As far as word count goes, I’m happy with my total. This year has been exciting for a number of reasons. I made quite a few sales to Ellora’s Cave and after being placed with a new editor (*sniffle* mine left) I really like her. Switching editors can be terrifying but this has been a good move so far. Under my alter ego I sold two books to Carina and I accomplished my dream of selling to New York (which still feels surreal). Of course my first release from NAL/Signet won’t be until 2012 so it’s almost anticlimactic (but not really, lol).



In my personal life I made some big changes as well. We moved to a new state and I took the plunge into writing full time. I thought I’d end up writing more than I did before but oddly enough, I write pretty much the same amount. The only difference is I have nights and weekends free to spend with my family which is incredibly nice. After the move I joined a new RWA chapter and have found a wonderful group of ladies to call friends. Not to mention I learned to cook a lot more creative meals which has made the hubby very happy.



I’m already friends with one of my critique partners (the fabulous Wynter Daniels) but I also got to meet my other CP (Kaylea Cross) in person this year when her husband planned a trip to New Orleans, which is close to my home. In addition to that I met the very funny Naima Simone at a luncheon! So while I dealt with inevitable rejections (some worse than others) and a few biting reviews, the year was pretty great personally and professionally. Meeting women I’ve come to respect and admire in person has been a big highlight this year and one I hope to repeat next year.


Currently I’m still working on my ‘goals’ list for next year. What goals did you accomplish this year? And I know it’s early, but what goals do you think you’ll make for next year?


In advance, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah (or whatever you might celebrate)!!

8 comments:

Michelle Polaris said...

Savannah, you've accomplished so much. I am proud of you. Although I could probably come up with goals for 2011, I'm much more in the mindset of appreciating how completely unexpected life can be and reflecting how each year leaves me in a place I could never have guessed. So I'm trying to be easy on deciding my course and just go with the miracle of letting the year unfold. Knowing that no matter what, I'll be okay.

Wynter said...

You've had quite a great year and I know the coming year will be so awesome for you both professionally and personally! I've achieved some of my goals, fell flat on others this year. One think I want to do is sell a series, which I am currently in the midst of writing. Another goal is to actually write down my goals, something I didn't do last January!

Savannah Stuart said...

Michelle, you're much more relaxed than me :) I can't help it, I love lists! If I make them, I'm more likely to get them done. And now that I have specific deadlines, I'm glad I know how I'm going to tackle them. Of course I'm flexible b/c edits, promoting and life often pop up and derail my steady course but I still like having an idea of my time line. It's all about focus for me.

Savannah Stuart said...

Wynter, if it's the series I've been reading, I have no doubt you'll sell it! :)

Kaylea Cross said...

Wow, you put me to shame girl! 2010was a very good year for you!

I didn't even come close to hitting my writing goals this year, but I did have some highlights too. I wrote and sold my very first erotic romance novella, sold a single title to Carina and have finished 75% of another for a different series.

But far and away the highlight of my year was the trip to New Orleans where I met you. Hugs!

Savannah Stuart said...

Definitely one of my highlights too, Kaylea!! :) And your year has been awesome. I'm especially excited you sold your first erotic novella. Welcome to the dark side!

Dalton Diaz said...

You guys all put me to shame! I prefer to be pleasantly surprised by my achievements, setting little goals along the way. Real life has kicked me in the ass too many times to get upset that I don't meet them, which causes depression, which causes... not meeting my goals. Vicious circle I try to avoid.

Savannah Stuart said...

That's awesome Dalton! As long as you know what works for you, more power to ya! It takes some people a while to figure it out. I know it did for me. Finding my 'method' didn't happen over night but now that I know what works for me and keeps me on track, I stick to it.