As one calendar year ends and a new one begins, I spend
some time thinking about the past twelve months. What did I like about them?
What could use some improvement? How can I effect change in the parts of my
life that I don’t really care for? 2019 was tough in a lot of ways, personally
and professionally. Each month seemed to bring its own distinct set of
challenges, failures and, in some cases, triumphs.

Here are a few of the highlights of my
writing life in 2019

Goal: To go to three diverse writing conferences to improve my skill set and meet other writers

Participated in the Desert Nights, Rising Stars
Writers Conference (Phoenix), The Historical Novel Society Conference (National
Harbor/Baltimore), and the Philadelphia Writing Workshop (Philadelphia).

Goal: Take the first
steps toward segueing into travel writing

I began my journey by writing travel blogs from
various locations around the United States, including San Antonio and Dallas, Chicago,
and Miami. In Salinas, CA.  I attended
the 38^th annual festival, “In Search of America: Travels with Charley”,
at the National Steinbeck Center. The final post of the year was Salt Lake City
Utah.

Goal: To finish the
first draft of a novel and begin the steps toward publication

Completed the first and second drafts 600-page manuscript
(yes, I know that is way too long!) and implementing the feedback from two beta
readers. Pitched the book to three agents and two of them requested pages. Faced
my first rejection head-on and kept writing and revising!

Goal: See the
commemorative book I worked on for a regional business in 2018 published and
distributed

I received my hardcover copy of the book in December
2019 and it looks fantastic. Proud to be part of the creative team that
produced it!

A sampling of what I am hoping to achieve career-wise
in 2020

Find one or two more readers and continue to edit my
novel down to a more manageable size.  Acquire
an agent who believes in me and the book

Earn some money for my writing either through new travel
articles or returning to local reporting

Bring all my social media up-to-date and get an office
out of my home

Continuing to master my craft and further my career through conferences, reading, webinars, networking, and taking chances