Blurred Line

A bit of preamble here: Obviously, I've been on holidays. I meant to get into the whole end-of-the-year meme business, but when I returned home my internet wasn't working (routers are a bitch, to put it bluntly). Anyhow, I'm reconnected now, so I'm going to condense it all into one big Cavan on 2006 post.

My impressions, actually, are pretty simple: I've never been happier to boot a year out the door. With the notable exception of finding a great new apartment (complete with great roommate), 2006 was a massive bust on just about every possible front. Tons of unhappiness in my personal life (which I've only been coming out of in the past month or so), a number of financial worries and, to top it all off, I'm pretty sure that I only wrote about 10,000 words this year. Pathetic.

On the upside, though, this has been a year for personal growth. The Cavan of January 2006 is a very different person than the Cavan of December 2006. So, even though 2006 wasn't exactly a banner year for me, I'm not particularly displeased with it. I mean, if you're taking something positive away in the end, like improved self-awareness for example, having had a bad year isn't such a terrible thing in the long run. Of course, I'd rather have gained self-awareness from bathing in piles of money and being fed grapes by beautiful women. But, hey, you win some, you lose some, right?

With that image in mind, I'd like to set out some writing goals for 2007. I've got personal goals, too, but they're, you know, secret. My writing goals for 2006 were somewhat ambitious, but I was fresh off my first semipro publication. Only now do I realize how lucky I was to get that, having seen firsthand some of the high quality writing that comes into token payment markets. Anyhow, as for the goals.

Obviously, the main goal is to actually write. For me, writing has never been a form of escapism. Instead, it's something that I need to do with a clear mind. So, with all the things that went on in 2006, it's not a huge surprise that my production was pretty much non-existent. So, goal #1 is to write at least 50,000 words this year. Even with my slow writing taken into account (I've never been able to churn stuff out quickly), this should be a realistic goal.
Publish at least three stories. At what level, I don't care, but it'd be nice to have at least one of them go to a semipro or pro market. As always, Strange Horizons and Futurismic are #1 and #2 on my hit list, so if I get picked up there, I'll be ecstatic.
Finish Mass Romantic. This was one of my goals for last year, too. Instead, I only added about 2000 words, which is kind of depressing. However, the story keeps turning itself over in my mind and it's still my favourite of all the stuff I've ever written, so I will finish it eventually.
If I'm feeling really ambitious and all the stars align correctly, I might even start up on Archive again. Of course, I've been out of the BL/GERA world for so long that I'm not sure it'll happen. Nonetheless, Archive remains my pet project. I don't really see myself starting on a novel this year, as I've decided that it's somewhat beyond my talents at this point, but I've also got vague ideas for a novel based on the world in "Learning Magic From Mint" and one based on the world in "Between Eternities" and "Spam". So, if either of those resolve themselves into something more concrete, I might just start on that.
Lastly - get accepted into Clarion. I don't even know if I could go, the money situation being what it is. I don't care. I'd kill to go to Clarion (seriously - I can make it look like suicide).

To finish off, I think it's time for a look into the future, astrology style. Don't deny it, you totally love horoscopes, even if they're only accurate with some real flexible interpretation:

Gemini thrives on change, variety and mental stimulation. You will attract these in all areas of your life, making for a very exciting year. (Really? More change? Can't I just kick back for a while?) Your ability to feel connected with people will help keep strong relationships going this year. Treat life's challenges as projects and you will inevitably figure out what's going on. (Hey, wait...isn't this the kind of non-specific claptrap that could apply to absolutely anyone?) You will make long strides in your career this year -- as long as you keep faith in yourself. The energy you put into your work will allow you to experience many material blessings in your home environment. (Sweet! I guess this means I'm going to graduate, find a real job, and buy a PlayStation 3.) Pay close attention to your own creative ideas. (Don't worry, I've got that covered.) Many new inspirational ideas are coming your way and you will benefit by putting your ideas into action in your career. (So, not only will I have the ability to pay the bills, but it looks like I'll have a ton of awesome writing ideas, too.) You attract a variety of people with your great charm, and you have a natural ability to gain admiration. (I am, after all, a suave and dashing gent.) You are much more in need of sharing yourself in a one-on-one relationship than ever before and, lucky you, an adventurous lover is in store for you as your radiance attracts someone very special during the first three months of the year. (A real job, a PS3, writing muses going full tilt, and a girl? Looks like 2007 is coming up Cavan.) For most of the year, communication will be top priority, and you'll be asked to articulate your inspirational ideas in some kind of writing project. (Some kind of writing project!? Hey, maybe these horoscope people do know what they're talking about.)

Well, I'm off to celebrate. Looks like I have a lot to look forward to next year.


Profile Editor. Writer. 9-5er. Lord of the Dance. Blurredline.com Apodis Publishing Fusion Fragment cterrill(at)blurredline.com Buy Goodbye, Darwin Amazon.com Amazon.ca Chapters.ca Barnes&Noble.com Read it free in PDF Format Buy Blurred Line Amazon.com Amazon.ca Chapters.ca Barnes&Noble.com Read it free in PDF Format The Short Stuff "Learning Magic From Mint" - published May 2007 in Atomjack "Between Eternities" - published October 2005 at Speculative.ca "Smoke and Mirrors" - published June 2005 in Byzarium Submissions Log Total Subs: 25 Acceptances: 3 Rejections: 17 Withdrawals: 3 Subs Out: 2 Quality Blogs Scalzi's Whatever Dave's Blogography Bookslut The Struggling Writer SF Signal the0phrastus Paperback Writer Scribe's Writing Desk Nathan Bransford Lyons Literary LLC The World in the Satin Bag Book In The Oven The Word Perhaps We Learned Something... Words, etc. Archives March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 Et Cetera Cavan @ Last.fm Cavan @ LibraryThing Feeds Atom Feed RSS Feed	Sunday, December 31, 2006 - A Look Back and a Look Forward A bit of preamble here: Obviously, I've been on holidays. I meant to get into the whole end-of-the-year meme business, but when I returned home my internet wasn't working (routers are a bitch, to put it bluntly). Anyhow, I'm reconnected now, so I'm going to condense it all into one big Cavan on 2006 post. My impressions, actually, are pretty simple: I've never been happier to boot a year out the door. With the notable exception of finding a great new apartment (complete with great roommate), 2006 was a massive bust on just about every possible front. Tons of unhappiness in my personal life (which I've only been coming out of in the past month or so), a number of financial worries and, to top it all off, I'm pretty sure that I only wrote about 10,000 words this year. Pathetic. On the upside, though, this has been a year for personal growth. The Cavan of January 2006 is a very different person than the Cavan of December 2006. So, even though 2006 wasn't exactly a banner year for me, I'm not particularly displeased with it. I mean, if you're taking something positive away in the end, like improved self-awareness for example, having had a bad year isn't such a terrible thing in the long run. Of course, I'd rather have gained self-awareness from bathing in piles of money and being fed grapes by beautiful women. But, hey, you win some, you lose some, right? With that image in mind, I'd like to set out some writing goals for 2007. I've got personal goals, too, but they're, you know, secret. My writing goals for 2006 were somewhat ambitious, but I was fresh off my first semipro publication. Only now do I realize how lucky I was to get that, having seen firsthand some of the high quality writing that comes into token payment markets. Anyhow, as for the goals. Obviously, the main goal is to actually write. For me, writing has never been a form of escapism. Instead, it's something that I need to do with a clear mind. So, with all the things that went on in 2006, it's not a huge surprise that my production was pretty much non-existent. So, goal #1 is to write at least 50,000 words this year. Even with my slow writing taken into account (I've never been able to churn stuff out quickly), this should be a realistic goal. Publish at least three stories. At what level, I don't care, but it'd be nice to have at least one of them go to a semipro or pro market. As always, Strange Horizons and Futurismic are #1 and #2 on my hit list, so if I get picked up there, I'll be ecstatic. Finish Mass Romantic. This was one of my goals for last year, too. Instead, I only added about 2000 words, which is kind of depressing. However, the story keeps turning itself over in my mind and it's still my favourite of all the stuff I've ever written, so I will finish it eventually. If I'm feeling really ambitious and all the stars align correctly, I might even start up on Archive again. Of course, I've been out of the BL/GERA world for so long that I'm not sure it'll happen. Nonetheless, Archive remains my pet project. I don't really see myself starting on a novel this year, as I've decided that it's somewhat beyond my talents at this point, but I've also got vague ideas for a novel based on the world in "Learning Magic From Mint" and one based on the world in "Between Eternities" and "Spam". So, if either of those resolve themselves into something more concrete, I might just start on that. Lastly - get accepted into Clarion. I don't even know if I could go, the money situation being what it is. I don't care. I'd kill to go to Clarion (seriously - I can make it look like suicide). To finish off, I think it's time for a look into the future, astrology style. Don't deny it, you totally love horoscopes, even if they're only accurate with some real flexible interpretation: Gemini thrives on change, variety and mental stimulation. You will attract these in all areas of your life, making for a very exciting year. (Really? More change? Can't I just kick back for a while?) Your ability to feel connected with people will help keep strong relationships going this year. Treat life's challenges as projects and you will inevitably figure out what's going on. (Hey, wait...isn't this the kind of non-specific claptrap that could apply to absolutely anyone?) You will make long strides in your career this year -- as long as you keep faith in yourself. The energy you put into your work will allow you to experience many material blessings in your home environment. (Sweet! I guess this means I'm going to graduate, find a real job, and buy a PlayStation 3.) Pay close attention to your own creative ideas. (Don't worry, I've got that covered.) Many new inspirational ideas are coming your way and you will benefit by putting your ideas into action in your career. (So, not only will I have the ability to pay the bills, but it looks like I'll have a ton of awesome writing ideas, too.) You attract a variety of people with your great charm, and you have a natural ability to gain admiration. (I am, after all, a suave and dashing gent.) You are much more in need of sharing yourself in a one-on-one relationship than ever before and, lucky you, an adventurous lover is in store for you as your radiance attracts someone very special during the first three months of the year. (A real job, a PS3, writing muses going full tilt, and a girl? Looks like 2007 is coming up Cavan.) For most of the year, communication will be top priority, and you'll be asked to articulate your inspirational ideas in some kind of writing project. (Some kind of writing project!? Hey, maybe these horoscope people do know what they're talking about.) Well, I'm off to celebrate. Looks like I have a lot to look forward to next year. Cavan blogged at 10:45 AM \| 5 comments	Progress Zilch! 0/0 Listening A.J. Croce - "Maybe I'm Amazed" My Music Reading Bright Lights, Big City - Jay McInerney My Library Watching Black Book: B Sweet and Lowdown: C Breakfast on Pluto: B Wishlist Bridge of Sighs - Richard Russo Rachael Yamagata - Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart