2010 was a busy year for The Juggling Writer.
- I wrote about 150 entries on the blog, totaling — I’m guessing — around 70,000 words written. (31 of those entries were written this month.)
- I finished another novel (103,000 words, but many of those words were written in previous drafts.)
- I was laid off and spent a lot of time with my wife.
- I started a podcast.
- I attended two conferences.
- I started freelancing.
Looking back at the year’s Juggling Writer posts, here are some of my favorites.
My Faves
January: 10 Things Writers Can Learn from Conan O’Brien. While the link to the Masturbating Bear video is no longer good, the points made are. Above all, Conan is the embodiment of what can happen to a hard working nice person.
Honorable Mention: The Platform of Silence. Written after J.D. Salinger died. It’s more about a writer’s platform. I didn’t know before attending the Writer’s League of Texas Agents Conference that most agents don’t put a huge emphasis on platform (a view repeated the other night on Twitter by writer and agent, Jason Pinter).
February: Copy Cats. An entry about writing your own thing, even if it’s not what’s hot.
Honorable Mention: Shut Up and Listen. Many people ask for advice and then don’t listen. They think they are better than others and don’t listen to the way some people talk. Some people don’t listen to the world around them. This is why you need to listen!
March: Monday Motivation: Living. You can’t write well without having lived some.
Honorable Mention: Monday Motivation: Courage. Writing takes courage. When compared to bigger acts of courage, putting yourself out there is nothing. You practically owe it to those who have done courageous things to find some courage yourself!
April: Defining Moments. Is there a defining moment in your life that exhibits the qualities you need to make it as a writer? Here’s mine…
Honorable Mention: When I Win the Lottery. What would you do if you won the lottery? Are you working toward that life right now? You should be — and here’s how to start.
May: The Trusted Reader. To find great trusted readers, you need to be a trusted reader yourself.
Honorable Mention: Hard Work. If you’re afraid of hard work, you’re going to have a hard time making it as a writer.
June: The Luckiest Thing. If you have people in your life you love — and who love you in return — you’re a lucky person. Sometimes it’s better to get away from the desk, even with deadlines looming, and remind people how much you care about them.
Honorable Mention: Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference Day 1 and Day 2 recaps. Okay, so they’re more notes from a couple great panels with agents. Definitely worth reading.
July: Tweet or Die. How important is a Twitter account as part of a writer’s platform? How important is having a platform to a fiction writer? If you don’t tweet, will your chances of making it as a writer suffer?
Honorable Mention: Very Short Stories. I love short stories, and with the Web, I’ve grown to love some very short stories.
August: 5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Be a Better Writer Next Month. As you think about resolutions for 2011, this is a good entry to read for every month next year!
Honorable Mention: The Rawness of a Duck. Overly polished writing lacks something. This entry is about why I like a bit of rawness to my writing.
September: Monday Motivation: Labor Day. I work on Labor Day; I work on writing. Here’s why…
Honorable Mention: Banned Books Week. I don’t get political on The Juggling Writer. This entry was an exception to that rule.
October: How to Read Out Loud. I started a podcast in October. Each week, I read a chapter from my first novel. I have a hard time reading out loud and shared some tips in this entry. Oh, and I love the photo for the entry, too! (Makes me laugh every time I see it.)
Honorable Mention: Monday Motivation: Influences. An entry about the people and things that influenced me as a writer.
November: The Power of Healthy Arrogance. A little bit of the right kind of arrogance can take you far.
Honorable Mention: Monday Motivation: How to Write Descriptive Passages. An entry about descriptions in stories and a bit about a game I like to play while driving.
December: A Year Ago Today. This may be my favorite entry of the year. Written on the one-year anniversary of being laid off from the longest job I ever held, I let pictures tell the story…
Honorable Mentions: The Best Productivity Tip I Know. I think this entry was a favorite with readers. It really is the best productivity tip I know.
Thank You
The best thing about The Juggling Writer in 2010 has been seeing more people reading the blog and chatting with people in the comments.
Thank you all so much for stopping by!
You have plenty to be proud of, and I have plenty to come by and enjoy reading.
Thank you, Paul — I’m glad you enjoy The Juggling Writer.
Oh, and I downloaded the Kindle sample of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Having logged many hours playing Dungeons and Dragons when I was younger, and being a geeky outcast, it’s good stuff so far, and I’m sure I’ll end up buying the rest of the book. So thank you for mentioning it, recently.