I’m back from a much-needed break from work, including writing, the blog, and most social media. I feel refreshed, and looking back on the year, poignant, proud, and incredibly disappointed all at once. I thought I’d take this post to review my year.
On the blog, things have been gradually and steadily building. This was my first full year here at WordPress since the move from Webs. I’m still incredibly glad I made that switch, as tedious and exhausting as it was. In 2012, I almost reached 100,000 page views (not quite – maybe a goal for next year), I’ve built relationships with many wonderful blog commenters, and over 6,000 people downloaded documents from The Organized Writer. I think that’s pretty awesome.
Numbers are great, but by far the most fun part of looking at a year of blog stats is the amusing (sometimes hilarious) search terms that led people to my blog. Here are some of my faves this year (I couldn’t resist commenting on some of them, after the arrows):
• all kinds of monsters
• amazing book titles
• crazy mother fucker
• I am tired of people
• Neugebauer pronunciation <– Ha! Good luck with that.
• why do we read literary fiction
• “very full bladder” <– Um… pee?
• bad man
• climax worksheets
• “a little part of me” porn <– o_0
• funny Febe <– Prolly talking about this girl.
• I’m painfully shy
• naughty vampire
• Annie is a goober <– >:P
• monsters dancing
• she is obsessively organized everything has a label <– True.
• unfollow me but read my tweet quotes <– I shall not.
• afraid of frogs
• Annie the girl with super human strength
• but then I saw something pink and sparkly <– Where?!
I was also fascinated to look at the most-read posts, which do not always match up with the most-commented posts (in my sidebar). These were not all written this year, just viewed.
1. The Problems with Strong Female Characters
2. What is Literary Fiction?
3. Passages Malibu Alcohol Rehab and Drug Addiction Treatment
4. Sonnet Building Step 1: Coming up with Ideas
5. 25 Beautiful Unique Book Titles
6. Top 10 Sexy Vampires
7. 20 Advantages to Having a Big Nose
8. The Dirty Pun Catcher
9. Book Title Poems
10. What is commercial fiction?
11. Types of Monsters
12. How Long Does Grief Last?
13. Love, Closure, and What It Feels Like to Give Up
14. On Living With Regret
15. What the Way You Retweet Says about You
16. Finding Comparables for Your Novel
17. 20 Halloween Poems: Suggested Reading for the Season
18. Twitter Tips Part 1: How to Get Followed Back
19. Why I’m Tired of People Ragging on Twilight
20. Vampires and Zombies, part IV: compare and contrast
While blogging goals are all well and good, writing is always my focus. And last year’s resolution was to turn my so closes into definitelys: 2011, The Year of Almosts. 2012, The Year of Hell Yeahs. I have dedicated myself so completely to that goal that I’m still working on it into 2013. My current WIP, Once the Darkness Comes, is testing my patience like you wouldn’t believe. My original query goal of October got bumped back to November because I refused to query an almost-there project again. Okay, good for me. But then I did it again. And since the industry shuts down in December, that meant early January.
Then, in a wonderful surprise, I got chosen for Pitch Wars. The contest goes live on January 23rd, which – you guessed it – means pushing back my query dates yet again. If you know how deeply I am not a patient person, you know that I am on the brink of some serious insanity right now. Don’t get me wrong; being in Pitch Wars is a huge honor and very exciting, but it’s almost as if the universe is testing my resolution to beat the almosts. Well… bring it on, universe. *looks around and hides*
Let’s just hope it pays off. Because, of course, my business resolution for 2013 is to find the perfect agent for me. Fingers crossed.
How was 2012 for you? What are your hopes and goals for 2013?
I look forward to another great year with you all. Happy 2013!
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