I'm not going to obsess over this, but at one time, there were 52 weeks in a year. Is that like 57 states and needing to be 21 to vote? Did I miss a week somewhere, or is this just how the weeks in 2011 rolled? Inquiring minds are not going to waste their time on this.
Looking back, 2011:
- For 2011, my stated goals were to write daily on Fooling Mother Nature and finish revising Polar Bear on the Loose. I abandoned Fooling Mother Nature early in the year. I have been stalled on Polar Bear on the Loose. The only new writing I really did was the NaNo novel at a little over 50,000 words. I advanced Polar Bear on the Loose by a few lessons.
- As I recall, we revised these goals fairly early in our experiment, because we shifted from daily reporting to weekly reporting. My focus was on writing, internet responsibilities, pets, property, health, and other things.
- I did some writing, but I don't believe I've been as serious about it as I should have been. I'm not sure how to resolve writing with maintaining my relationship with hubby. He doesn't object to writing. He objects to the apparent lack of progress with my writing. We're in agreement on that.
- Internet responsibilities are variable. I guess I did what had to be done, but I didn't sustain the learning efforts I'd said I wanted to achieve at the beginning of the year. I increased my tech responsibilities at FM a little bit, but I haven't learned anything dramatic.
- Pets are doing well. We lost Dazzle in July, but that was expected. Natasha is much more relaxed. It's taken her a long time, but she's integrated into the household enough to be relaxed most of the time. I love to update her foster mommy on her progress, because Natasha was considered nearly unadoptable; she's quite the success story. The kittens are a blast. Ajax is a hoot. Millie is mellowing with age, but I think she's lonely without Dazzle. She is getting more time in the house now that she's the only dog. She likes that.
- Property is a never-ending process and is largely driven by hubby's schedule.
- Health is of course an on-going effort, but I did some good things this year. At the beginning of the year, I needed to lose 130 or more pounds, and I was despairing that I'd ever be able to do this. I DID commit to improving my cardiovascular health. At the beginning of the year, I was surprised to see how much a difference five minutes a week made in heart rate. The point there is for people who don't do anything who think they have to kill themselves to see improvement. Nope. Start very small and very slow and build from there. I'm up to 30 minutes at a crack now, and it doesn't bother me. I've been at the point where I need to push myself a little harder for quite a while. This is something I can do with the new year. Inspired by Wendy at the end of February, I rejoined Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds over the next six months. I "backslid" a little at the end of the year (regained 10 pounds in November). At Wendy's suggestion (it took her suggesting it a couple of times), I went on maintenance and am "coasting" through the end of the year. It has taken the pressure off me, and I'm maintaining (after a little encouragement from Tammy that helped me get back on track). I'm pleased with the progress I made in health this year. I do have a long way to go, but health is always a journey.
- Other things varied through the year, but one area I categorized under "other" was my ongoing relationship with my husband. It's hard for me to live with someone else. We're committed to each other, so that isn't an issue, but the overall quality of our relationship and interactions has been and is uneven. Some of that is the normal give and take of living together, but I want our quality of life together to be as good as possible. This is, like health, an ongoing effort.
Looking ahead, 2012:
The things I want to work toward achieving in 2012 are going to be very similar to 2011. I intend to continue working on my overall health and fitness.
Work will continue on the various properties.
It should be obvious that we'll continue to work on our relationship--which will remain in the "other" category.
I don't have particular goals for the pets other than to continue enjoying them. I probably won't report on them regularly, but they are fun to talk about --- kind of like people talking about their kids and grandchildren.
I've decided I need to take a more participatory role in Forward Motion, or I need to resign as moderator and technical team member. The tech team aspect of things would leave Zette and Mar in a bind. I don't do much, but I do take care of tedious tasks, leaving time for the more challenging things that I don't know how to do to be accomplished by Margaret and Zette. We have an enthusiastic new group of moderators, and my skills are not necessarily needed there. I'll commit to greater participation at FM this year. If I find it rewarding and worthwhile, I'll continue. If not, I need to consider if it's time for me to move along. I may not talk about that much here, but it's something I've committed to.
I need to make better use of my on-line time. I haven't figured out how, but I need to do something different from what I have been doing.
That brings me to the primary reason why we're here -- writing. The nagging, "I'm a terrible writer" wears on me. Not in the nuts and bolts of stringing words together correctly, but in the aspect that's more important that the dotted "i"s and crossed "t"s. The craft of storytelling. I seriously doubt I have the ability to take an idea and mold it into a compelling story. I can spew words. Some of them even have their moments of sounding good, but can I tell a story? That's where my doubt lies.
I'm not sure where to go from here. I plan to continue working through "How To Revise Your Novel" with Polar Bear on the Loose. Will completing that process help me with my storytelling struggles? I'm not sure.
I have several reading projects underway. First, I'm reading The Federalist Papers by email subscription. Each installment arrives in my email box on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening. I've deliberately chosen a brief missive, but I'm still running a few days behind. I'm also reading Durant's History of Civilization -- I'm on volume 1 of the how ever many volume set. I think it's eight volumes. I'm reading four pages at a time, also on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I took off for NaNo and I haven't done much reading in December either. I've been winning about three books a year from LibraryThing, so I have to read them and write a review. Other than that, my annual goal is to read 50 books. I have never achieved that goal, but that's what it is.
Format for 2012:
I like Wendy's recent format change, and I think I'll begin the year with it and modify if needed.
Good stuff for the week:
- Two fence panels disassembled in preparation for disposal
- Tree top that needed cutting up is cut
- 46 Mercury front end loaded into the trailer for the trip to Central Texas
- One corner of the back yard (due to those three previous task completions) significantly straightened up
- Leaves raked and bagged
- Mulberry tree pruned
- Christmas jigsaw puzzle completed
Stuff that still needs work:
- I've made some plans this week. Will I follow through next week in the new year? I've been good at laying out what I "should" do. Now, I want to start acting on the plans.
- I am wasting too much time doing nothing on the internet. I may be retired, but I want to be productive. I do get a lot of things done, but I waste a lot of time, too. I haven't figured this one out yet.
- I need to figure out some specific writing goals. I'm failing in that area.
Plan for the next week (first week of 2012):
- Heading back to Central TX on Tuesday. I plan to begin executing my exercise plan for the new year on Wednesday (Wii and recumbent bike)
- I plan to begin processing "pro gear" books stored in my bedroom closet. I know I don't want a lot of them. They're good military books, and I hope Half Price books can use the ones I decide I don't want to keep. I'll also be sifting through paperback books with the goal of moving them to Half Price as well.
- I need to resume processing my boxes of personal items I've collected throughout my life. I need to throw out the stuff that is obviously trash. I need to re-home a lot of items I know I don't care about but somebody else might have a use for -- some of those items become inventory for the yard sale; some go to GoodWill.
- I'll resume work on "How to Revise Your Novel" and Polar Bear on the Loose.
- The plan is to do those first four items before I do anything on-line.
- I think that's enough for the week. I'll be working on other things as well.
Wishing you all a prosperous and happy new year!
5 comments:
Jean, you always inspire me with your accomplishments and the matter-of-fact way you approach difficulties. You're simply awesome. Thank you for being my friend. :)
Jean, you got a LOT done this past year and I am confident you'll achieve even more in 2012. I really think using Wendy's post format will help all of us focus more on the positive, since we're all prone to negative thinking.
{{huggs}} You're a good friend and we're all glad to know you. HAve a great holiday weekend and I'll see you in 2012!
I'm struggling with the same writing doubts. I haven't done anything I'm really proud of since the Dragons Roost books, and Scott played a large role in the plotting of those books. Even though I wrote Rogue Pawn by myself, he was there to bounce ideas off, and he's too busy for that now, even if he was interested in historical fiction. Maybe we should have some semi-regular idea bouncing chats? We might be able to help each other.
I couldn't be more proud of the progress you've made with your weight. By my calculations, you are 23% of the way to your goal, and that's impressive to me. You've worked hard and you should pat yourself on the back. It's hard to lose any amount of weight. It's a process, as you said. Don't give up.
Well, in doubting your writing, who doesn't doubt their writing? But we will never be perfect. We just have to tell our stories and keep moving on, learning as we go. I'm certainly not a perfect writer, but I've sold a good number of books, and I have people who appreciate my work. I use that to shore up my confidence. (Doesn't always work, of course, but it helps.) Writing is an act of ego: We believe our stories will interest other people.
I've read writing from both of you, Jean and Wendy, and I enjoyed what I read. And while I might not be an awesome writer, I am an awesome reader. I read for enjoyment and enlightenment. I buy a lot of books (or did when I had a job) and check out a lot from the library. You can count on my opinion on this: You both have talent. You both have stories to tell.
Jean, I still remember Twilight. And Wendy, same for the excerpt you shared a few weeks ago.
So write! Write, write, write! I want to read your stories.
And Tammy, we all know you can tell good stories. I hope you will share them with us. Please!
Sincerely,
Your devoted fan :)
I will write. I have one reader! That makes it worthwhile!
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