And this year? Packed full:
Elebenty. It’s okay to love and admire and want to emulate the YA contemporary writers I hold in high esteem (I’m looking at you, John Green and Laurie Halse-Anderson), but it’s even better to remember that we each have something unique to contribute. My contribution just happens to contain a few more shadows and a little more blood.
10. Everyone who pursues publication has a different path. Everyone. Mine may be meandering, but I suspect it isn’t any less satisfying than someone who travels a straighter, faster road. I learn at each delicious curve and isn’t that the point?
9. There will never be a time in my life when I don’t disappointment someone and someone doesn’t disappoint me. This is how life works. Pain and glory. Learn. Move on. Grow.
8. It’s okay to say no, but if I can’t do that, it's good to at least work out a solution that doesn't include me yanking my hair out strand by strand (for fellow word nerds, the clinical term is trichotillomania).
7. Snow days are so awesome. So. Awesome. But icy patios aren't. And crutches suck. And a sprained knee = ouch. BUT my boss is amazing for letting me work at home while I recuperate, my husband is phenomenal for taking such good care of me, and I have huge (HUGE) new respect for people with disabilities. The everyday things we take for granted as able-bodied folks are astounding.
6. I don’t have a lot of close friends. Hell, I don’t have a lot of close relatives. But I am loved by an amazing man and three affectionate cats. What’s better than that?
5. If today sucks, I can almost always count on tomorrow to be better. So much in life – mood, motivation, mendacity (this one comes from my frustration with the current political climate) – depends on perspective.
4. It doesn’t make sense to wait until life is “perfect” to pursue the things we love. It’s cliché, but life truly isn’t a dress rehearsal. Get busy in the mess and use the imperfections for story fodder.
3. Writers, fellow bloggers, and supporters (I’m looking at you, KC friends) are super cool and super smart people. I’ve learned a TON from each of you since September. Thank you.
2. “It's never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot
10. Everyone who pursues publication has a different path. Everyone. Mine may be meandering, but I suspect it isn’t any less satisfying than someone who travels a straighter, faster road. I learn at each delicious curve and isn’t that the point?
9. There will never be a time in my life when I don’t disappointment someone and someone doesn’t disappoint me. This is how life works. Pain and glory. Learn. Move on. Grow.
8. It’s okay to say no, but if I can’t do that, it's good to at least work out a solution that doesn't include me yanking my hair out strand by strand (for fellow word nerds, the clinical term is trichotillomania).
7. Snow days are so awesome. So. Awesome. But icy patios aren't. And crutches suck. And a sprained knee = ouch. BUT my boss is amazing for letting me work at home while I recuperate, my husband is phenomenal for taking such good care of me, and I have huge (HUGE) new respect for people with disabilities. The everyday things we take for granted as able-bodied folks are astounding.
6. I don’t have a lot of close friends. Hell, I don’t have a lot of close relatives. But I am loved by an amazing man and three affectionate cats. What’s better than that?
5. If today sucks, I can almost always count on tomorrow to be better. So much in life – mood, motivation, mendacity (this one comes from my frustration with the current political climate) – depends on perspective.
4. It doesn’t make sense to wait until life is “perfect” to pursue the things we love. It’s cliché, but life truly isn’t a dress rehearsal. Get busy in the mess and use the imperfections for story fodder.
3. Writers, fellow bloggers, and supporters (I’m looking at you, KC friends) are super cool and super smart people. I’ve learned a TON from each of you since September. Thank you.
2. “It's never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot
1. Some things have to be learned again and again (and again) until they truly sink in. If my next year's list looks like this one, you'll know I'm still busy incorporating, processing, and accepting.
Any of these resonate with you, Killer Friends? Got any “learnings” to add to the list?
Any of these resonate with you, Killer Friends? Got any “learnings” to add to the list?
9 comments:
This is a wonderful, wonderful list. Everything you wrote resonated with me. And yes, everyone's path to publication is different. As a good friend told me recently: "You're always exactly where you need to be." She meant it in terms of our lives overall, but I think this can also apply to publishing. S ome people take the scenic route... but I think, for those folks, the end result is really that much sweeter.
My biggest lesson this past year has been that it's okay to be a work in progress. I don't have to accomplish everything all at once, even though I might want to. And I also learned that it's okay to fail and be imperfect... because it's the imperfections that make us beautiful.
GREAT post.
I agree with Jennifer. A great list. My lesson this year? Sometimes writing does take a backseat to life, especially when someone near is dying.
Great list, Joann!
I've learned to trust my gut more. Last year I made an important choice despite the fact my gut was telling me to go another way. Toward the beginning of this year I made the difficult decision to extricate myself from the situation. While it was scary to do at the time, I haven't regretted it since.
So many of these resonate with me (well not the publishing one, but I can dream). The one that really makes sense is #4. when I was in grad school, my advisor told me that there was no perfect time to have kids and he was soo right. I think the same can be said for many things and you're right it just makes good story fodder.
Take care of your knee!!
Um... do I have to have learned anything? :-)
But really, I'm working on #4, and about that, here's what Paul Reiser said about choosing to have kids:
It was pretty much like every other decision in life, when even if you don’t feel ready, there’s no great moment of clarity around the corner. Any kind of tangible thing I was waiting for, I realized I was kidding myself. You can obviously do it forever.
Very wise thoughts.
Here's another. Don't be too quick to assume you don't have friends or even close friends. You touch more people than you know.
As writers it's our duty to reach out (metaphorically) and touch people.
Jai
Nicely resonant, yep! Love the 2 kittaws photo, too. :o)
Great list, Joann. I hadn't thought about the things I learned this year until you mentioned it. A lot of your things resonate with me, but another two big things I learned but that I'm still working on incorporating...
1) I need to let go and stop being such a mother all the time. My daughter's not a child anymore and she'll be off to college next year. Time to snip the apron strings and let her walk away under her own power.
2) When things irritate me, I need to get over it. It's like that old saying - I need the courage to change the things I can, the ability to ignore the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I'm still working on it. We'll see how far I've come by this time next year. ;o)
I'm glad we all learned so much in 2010! Of course some life lessons take longer to sink in than others.
Jenny - perfection is like so totally overrated!
Em - absolutely true and real life can inform your writing, so it's win-win.
JB - trusting ye old gut is so, so, so hard for me. I second-guess every decision. Thank you for the reminder!
Angie & Maine - I never learned that one. I truly thought there would be a "perfect time". I think it may have passed me by. lol
Jai - extraordinarily well said. :)
Carol - my tabbies are such lovey-dovey girls (mama and kiddo).
B.E. - those are awesome. I envy your daughter for having such a caring mom in her life.
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