Year in Review: How did 2011 Stack Up?

It's time to look back on the year and see what I accomplished. If you're feeling compare-y and contrast-y, check out my Year-End Stats for 2009 and 2010.

In December of 2010, here's what I hoped to accomplish in 2011:

"In 2011, my goals are to research, write and revise my newest YA novel, contribute to DearTeenMe.com, give audio books a real chance, and bring actual knitting back to my knitting group. I'd like to go jogging twice a week, and read at least 50 books, partially so I can surpass that goal."

Here's how my checklist turned out:

1. Wrote and revised a new YA novel? Yes!

2. Contributed to Dear Teen Me? Yes! You can read my letter here.

3. Gave audio books a real chance? No! Not even remotely! Didn't even try! Why am I using so many exclamation points!

4. Brought actual knitting back to my knitting group: Yes! Knitted two hats.

5. Went jogging twice a week? Hahahahahaha. (Wipes tear.)

6. Read at least 50 books? No! More like 45. Which is a drop from 2010 (when I read 62) and an even worse drop from 2009 (when I read 100). However... I did read a bunch of WIPs and ARCs from friends whose books are coming out in 2012, and I gave notes on manuscripts, and I also read 450 screenplays at work. So it's not like I wasn't reading. [/defensive] 

Other Fun Stats (maybe I should've listed these first):

I sold my novel (wooooooooooo!), attended a fun writing conference in NYC (where I got to meet my agent, editor, and lots of cool writing peeps), and joined The Lucky 13s. Lastly, my husband and I have a fresh work-in-progress due early next year. (Before anyone freaks out, the imbibing photo above is old.)

How did your year stack up against your expectations?

What are your hopes for 2012?

Year in Review: 2009 vs 2010

Last year I summarized my accomplishments and jotted down goals for 2010. Let's see how I did, shall we?

"Goals for 2010 include fixing up the new novel, writing a NEW new novel, moving to Santa Clarita, and getting a bicycle and using it as my main method of transportation (keep in mind I live in L.A. so this goal is actually insane... but I think it's good to have at least one insane goal per year)."

Hmm, yes, well, hmm. 

Three out of four ain't bad.  Okay, 2.8 out of three. I did fix up that novel; I did move to Santa Clarita (and I love it here except maybe for the commute).  I also got a bicycle, but saying it's my main method of transportation would be wildly inaccurate. I mostly use it to go to the library.

And now, inspired by Kristin Nelson's year in statistics, here's what I've been up to since January, numbers-wise (2009's stats will appear in parenthesis so we can laugh at my best laid plans):

Books Read = 62 (100) For shame. Almost a 40% drop!

However, I stipulate that my time spent commuting directly correlates to the diminished number of books read. In 2009 my commute was 40 minutes/day on average. In 2010 it was 2.3 HOURS/day on average. The defense rests. 

Audio books would seem to be the answer, but I find it a wee bit problematic to pay attention to plot intricacies while fearing for my life on the freeway. This year we had fires *and* flooding.
 
Of the 62 books I read, 35 were YA, 14 were "adult"/literary fiction, 11 were non-fiction (including memoir),  and 2 were about writing ("Sin and Syntax" and "Spunk and Bite"). I also read 4 friends' WIP manuscripts, which are fab novels-to-be, another friend's ARC, and I'll probably get through several more over the holidays, so maybe I can fudge my numbers and give myself a total of 70.

Scripts Read = 438 (316) DANG I WORKED HARD THIS YEAR. 100 + more scripts than last year!

Hats Knitted = 0 (3) For shame, part deux. (My husband: "Your knitting group is really cool. They don't really knit, though." Pretty much.)
 
This year I revised two novels and started a brand-new novel for NaNoWriMo. I promptly abandoned it at 30 pages, but I'm back on track again with a fresh idea and oodles of fun books for research. (Yes, I genuinely enjoy research.)  I also hosted a writing retreat in Palm Springs this March, got to help welcome my niece into the world in April (on my birthday no less), and visited friends and family in Illinois and Wisconsin over the summer.

In 2011, my goals are to research, write and revise my newest YA novel, contribute to DearTeenMe.com, give audio books a real chance, and bring actual knitting back to my knitting group. I'd like to go jogging twice a week, and read at least 50 books, partially so I can surpass that goal :)

How did your year compare with 2009? Did you meet your goals?

I wish I could say I'd knitted these, but...

...that would be a dirty lie. They're just an example of the latest in Tendonitis Chic.

In my defense, I did knit myself some fingerless wrist and hand warmers a few years ago, off a pattern I created myself (I did measurements and everything! Which I never do!), but they're kind of falling apart, and I needed something to wear at work when my limbs get cold. Keeping my hands warm for typing and mouse movements goes a long way toward preventing the symptoms of tendonitis. Wrist braces at night help, too.

But anyway, a co-worker recommended these beauties from Urban Outfitters and they work like a charm. Mine are in dark green and keep me toasty all day.

Cooking & Knitting Therapy

It's been kind of a crummy week (who even uses that word? And should it be spelled crumb-y, or is that too Joss Whedon?) so last night I put my energies toward two comforting tasks: cooking and knitting. Both are calming because as long as you follow the instructions, everything will be okay. I like that sense of order and accomplishment.

First I made tiramisu, and I don't have a mixer, so I had to use a whisk by hand for the cream, which was a good way to get rid of frustration, and then I started knitting a new hat for my stitch 'n' bitch group tonight. Half the time -- okay, more than half -- we don't really knit at our meetings, and once a month we toy with changing the group's name to "We Drink on Wednesdays," but this time I'm armed and dangerous.

Anyway, the tiramisu recipe I chose is from Michael Chu's terrific Cooking For Engineers site, and it doesn't use eggs (it does, however, use rum). It's wonderfully simple and yummy-looking. I hope my friends enjoy it.