If I were to pick a word to sum up my writing life in 2014, the word would be “progress.” (Inspired by Carrie Snyder’s word “success.”)

In the short space of one year, I:

• finished a solid draft of my young adult novel Beneath the Cardboard Moon
• secured my dream agent
• strengthened my manuscript even more
• was accepted into a very competitive Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program
• started this blog
• attended some great literary events
• started practising public speaking through Toastmasters
• committed myself to writing every day by getting up early
• had fun writing my first-ever short stories.

And what, through all this, have I learned about a writing career?

• Writing a book is the opposite of peeling an onion; it’s layering it.
• Other people’s feedback is vital.
• Nothing goes quickly.
• If you work hard and give things time, they might work out as you’d hoped.
• No one said it would be easy; commit yourself and keep plugging away.

Thanks go to the authors of all the great books I’ve read this year. Here are a few that inspired me:

Fiction

• I’ll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson
• We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
• The Enchanted, Rene Denfeld
• Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

Non-fiction

• A House in the Sky, Amanda Lindhout
• Something Fierce, Carmen Aguirre
• Drunk Mom, Jowita Bydlowska
• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield

I wish a fantastic new year to you all!

Tell me what was great about your 2014.

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