Here we are at the end of 2017. It’s been an incredible year for me in my personal life, but more on that later. With the holidays and work taking so much of my time and attention these last two months, I decided to combine November and December into a single recap. With things on the writing front moving at the speed they do, I might end up doing bi-monthly recaps from now on, anyway.
I’ve still been writing during the past two months, so have no fears there. It’s just that the time I’ve had to write has been a bit limited. In November I spent most of my writing time not on fiction, but rather on honing my “Teacher of the Year” essays so I can hopefully get to the next round. I don’t expect to “go all the way,” but I feel that I need to do my best to represent my school. I know that my principal would love to have me get pretty far, so I wanted to make sure my essays and my resume were as polished as could be.
At the end of October and beginning of November, I queried a few agents for my YA novel. I expect to start hearing back from the bulk of them in the next month or so, especially now that the holidays are wrapping up.
In addition to that, though, I’ve finally given some attention to a short story that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I like where the draft is right now, and I hope to finish it up in the next few days. However, I’m coming up on a decision point for this particular story. The story is unfolding exactly how I planned, but I feel like I have more to do with this particular lead character, so I’m considering adding a bit to the story. In essence, I would be writing a “Part I” and a “Part II,” should I decide to extend it.
Additionally, I have a very good idea what my next long writing project will be. I had a thought that is turning into an obsession, which is usually a good sign that I could devote months of my life to this idea without getting bored. It would be something new and different for me, which is exciting, but with some of the upcoming changes in my personal life (see below), this project would be a very lengthy one.
Now for non-writing news.
I have to say: 2017 has been an amazing year, personally. In 2016, there were three major things I wanted in my life. I wanted to buy a house (we moved in last December/January), I wanted to focus on my writing and have some publishing success (thank you StoryHack #1!), and I wanted my wife and I to have a baby. Guess what! We’re pregnant!
The baby is due in May. Our “baby announcement” was cool and unique, too. We painted the local “graffiti bridge” the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I got a lot of honks from passersby that I assume were congratulatory. We’re now thinking of names. I like traditional names, my wife prefers names that aren’t a dime-a-dozen, so we’re making a list and trying to find something that satisfies us both, sounds good with our last name, and that my wife’s family can easily pronounce (they don’t speak English).
Honestly, every prayer of mine was answered in 2017. Adding in the unexpected success I’ve had in my profession, I feel blessed beyond what I could possibly deserve.
2018, you’re up!
Michael DeCarolis - Author 