When I started out following Booklife and documenting my writing progress, I suspected the first few weeks would either be really easy or really hard. Establishing a habit takes times and it’s easy to make excuses to skip writing. We all hear or use them — I’m too busy, too much day job work, kids/family, etc. Then there’s the Resolutionists, who make a bunch of goals at the beginning of the year and waver after a few weeks. Also guilty as charged.

It’s really too early to tell how things are going to work out long-term but so far I feel good. Not overwhelmed by keeping my spreadsheets updated or gut checking my short-term goals. I’m right where I want to be. I hope I can say the same thing a week and a month from now.

On the heels of yesterdays post about Booklife and my personal mission statement, I have added My Booklife to the sidebar. From here, I have posted and will keep updated my public weekly, monthly, 1 year and 5 year goals. I’ve also included my list of career achievements.

I am horrible with deadlines. In high school I was forced to take a special class on time management because I never turned anything in on time. It’s one of those things that I struggle with on a daily basis. Occasionally I discover something useful that helps, like Things, that help me keep track of the things I need to be doing. The most recent one was Jeff VanderMeer‘s Booklife.

It wasn’t the best year writing-wise. Eight new stories, one of which was flash and four were “hint fiction”. Two stories from 2008 were edited repeatedly and eventually submitted, both to Writers of the Future. Fifteen submissions, thirteen rejections, and one rewrite request. If my Duotope statistics are accurate, nine were personal rejections (one from a pro market).