A Recap of 2019

Well, I know it's a bit late for a recap of last year, but I wanted to reflect briefly on last year's accomplishments and growth when it comes to writing. I focused intently on same areas, and gave others a break, and I'm very happy I did.

Poetry:

Before 2019 I very rarely wrote poetry. I did it for classes or competitions and was always glad that I had done it, but I never sat down to write it without some outside reason or pressure.

In March, however, I decided to do National Poetry Writing Month, otherwise known as NaPoWriMo. This challenge takes place every year in April, and anyone can participate. The goal is to write one poem every day for the entire Month. I recruited a friend to do it with me, and I ended up writing 38 poems in 30 days.

This challenge kickstarted an enthusiasm for poetry that still hasn't died down. In the year of 2019, I ended up writing over 100 poems, none of which I was forced to do for a class or assignment.

Short Stories:

I have the tendency to think of short story ideas and premises, and then never get around to writing them. However, last year, I did work on several short stories. Both developing ideas further by thinking and by discussing them with writer friends, as well as writing. I'll continue to post with excerpts and entire stories.

Novel:

I actually took a large step back from my novel, 'Maroon', last year, taking time to learn more about the craft of writing a novel. This was incredibly helpful, and helped me tackle the project of outlining my novel, something I'm finding to be necessary for me personally to get something of that length written. I spent most of the year thinking over characters and reworking the plot, often just letting ideas simmer in my head. I think this was an incredibly important season of development for Maroon.

Books I read in 2019 on writing:

'Finding your Writer's Voice' by Bria Quinlan and Jeannie Lin

'Hooked' by Les Edgerton

'Plot and Structure' by James Scott Bell

'How to Write Dazzling Dialogue' by James Scott Bell

And those still in progress:

'The Emotional Craft of Fiction' by Donald Mass

'Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting that You'll Ever Need' by Blake Snyder

Out of all of the above, my favorite was definitely Hooked by Les Edgerton. He's a successful author and the book was definitely practical, but not to the point of requesting you to do writing exercises while you read. (Unlike some other books on this list.) It's by far the most impactful book I've read on plot, and it has already affected my writing.

So, there you have it! A brief recap of 2019, albeit in March. Coming soon, I'll post about my upcoming goals and challenges for 2020, which I am very excited about!