First off, I could have sworn that this year had just started. Where did 2009 go?

But then I start thinking about ALL the things that happened in 2009 and I’m like, “Yeah. It’s been a LONG year.”

I’m usually not one to focus on New Year’s resolutions. I usually just start that same day towards a goal. No use in waiting. But the ending of this year does make me reflect on the past and goals for the future.

As far as 2009 was concerned, it was a good year. It wasn’t a GREAT year because I didn’t finish my novel to the point where it could be ready for submission. But I did finish a round 1 draft in six months so that’s something to be proud of. I also started this blog and met some great people. I got more involved in writing organizations and even presented my first writing workshop. So looking at it from that perspective, I did accomplish some things.

At one point, I had a very ambitious and aggressive list of goals to accomplish in 2010. I still may try to do some of them but then right before I left for the holidays, we had a status meeting at work.

At the day job, we’ve done EXTREMELY well. Believe me, when the FBI is your biggest software client and they are happy—it’s sort of a big deal. But it also means that it’s going to be several shades of crazy in 2010. When I saw the projected plan for software development—not only did it make me tired—it made me realize that I may not be able to realistically accomplish some of my ambitious goals.

I live in a logical world. And every writer who has a day job understands that time is limited for creative efforts. It’s the nature of the beast. And with the economy as it is, quitting a job for art without any means to pay the mortgage is just not an option. For me at least. I really like shelter. And food.

So what’s a Novelista to do?

I’m going to go back to the basics.

2010 is going to be all about finishing the novel to its highest potential. I’m not going to stress out about submission lists, publication schedules, contract negotiations, or anything like that. Because that’s the kind of stuff that is out of my control. Plus, all those things are irrelevant if I don’t have the end product—a novel that I took the time to cultivate to its full potential.

Would it be nice if I had more time to finish my novel quicker? Would LOVE it. But I don’t have that luxury. I have limited time but I plan to make the most of it—it’s those little pockets of time that can make difference.

The good news is that I do plan to spend some time at some fabulous writer conferences and workshops in 2010—which I really love doing, plus I’ll be starting back with my critique group. I’ll be sure to share all my experiences with you. And as always, I’ll continue to talk about craft, books, publishing, and other cool off-topic stuff on this blog.

And when the novel is done, the champagne is on me!