Of course, it is deeply flawed. There is information given that isn't needed and information that is needed sometimes isn't thrown in until the last second. I gave my characters names but half the time still simply called them 'the frog' or 'the cat'. My tenses switched. The ending was a complete clique. (And from an illustrator's point of view, my drawings weren't very consistent.) But everyone has to start somewhere and the fact that I recognize all this now just shows how far I've come.
Why am I bringing all this up? Today is my blogiversary. Exactly a year ago today, I posted my first blog post entitled 'At the Bottom'. I discussed how writing and publishing takes time and my preparedness to work toward those goals. I talked about THE LULLABY rewrite and what my hopes for it were.
Your first step onto the mountain doesn't bring you directly to the top. The first word of a novel doesn't bring you straight to the end.
While I still may be working on that rewrite, I've come damn far in a year. I'm mere chapters away from being finished with the rewrite, I have a whole other manuscript, I've written a short story almost every week in 2011, I wrote a poem a day for a month, I've come up with plenty of new ideas, I've found critique partners, and I've gotten to almost 200 followers on this blog. Who knows where I'll be next September 18th?
Happy Blogiversary!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the book you shared, and am happy for you that you have accomplished so much this year.
Here's to continued success.
Thank you. And thank you for becoming a new follower as well. ^^
ReplyDeleteI second that!
Haha, this sounds like one awesome story. It's great to find old stuff like that locked away, right? I have a few gems myself (my favorite was about a kat and a mos aka. cat and a mouse haha).
ReplyDeleteHappy Blogiversary to you. Here's to the next year and all the wonders it brings.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your blogoversary Brooke!! I for one am very glad to have found you through Chrysalis and to have got to know you! I love your writing and really enjoy seeing you blossom as a writer and blogger! Here's to another year of fun.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful celebration of progress. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteHappy Blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogoversary. It's great that you're able to have something to compare too--especially when it's something from age 8.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogoversary. Your first book sounds kinda cool actually. I like how you illustrated it. I think that in itself makes it awesome.
ReplyDeleteHappy Blogoversary! It's amazing how much we all grow in a year. And you'll continue doing it all your life :)
ReplyDelete@S. L. Hennessy Little kids are such creative spellers aren't they? Hmmm... does that mean I'm still a little kid?
ReplyDelete@Sarah See, normally this is where I would make a remark about 2012 but then I realized since my blogiversary is in September, The End of the World won't have happened yet in the next year. :)
@Trisha I'm very happy to have found you (and Chrysalis!) as well. ^^ I have watched you flower as well (though, I must say with considerably more blossoms).
@Angelina Thank you. I know it wasn't a giveaway or anything like that, but it's what I could do.
@Jennifer Thanks so much!
@Alicia Indeed, it helps show every bit of my writing progress. I'm still kicking myself for throwing away the first 'draft' of my first 'novel'.
@Michael lol Thanks. I like the idea, too, though maybe not so much the execution. I am soooo not a drawer. XD
@Steph I know. I almost kind of wish there was a way to measure it all.
Wow, why are you so hard on your eight year-old self? :) Actually, Robert Silverberg did something similar to himself in Science Fiction 101. He took a page of something he wrote when he was 12 and tore it apart.
ReplyDeleteI love the new layout, Brooke!
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on your smaller self; I'm sure all writers have done that at least once in their life, I know I have. xD
Happy bloggaversary!
@Mark Oh, I'm still very proud of it. I was just trying to show how much I've really improved.
ReplyDelete@Isabella Thank you! You are the first one to mention it.
Well of course, everyone has. It's part of the growing process. ^^
Happy blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteYour illustrations weren't consistent? You made me laugh. I shudder to think what I wrote at age 8. I'm sure your 8-yr-old self ran circles around my 8-yr-old self.
Yes, my horse was all shapes and sizes, though he always had a considerable belly. :P You wrote when you were eight. That in itself makes you awesome. ^^
ReplyDeleteCongratulations both on your blogiversary and for setting and achieving so many writing goals. You are a true inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle. Even the little things can mean so much. Learning new things can be such a thrill.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary, Brooke! You have come a long ways baby! Good for you. I love that your grandma kept your cute story. Keep that always. What a treasure.
ReplyDeleteYes, she keeps everything. Lately, she's been bringing it all out because she's almost 80 and I guess she's feeling her age.
ReplyDeleteI was so upset when my best friend's dad was squirting me with a water bottle and didn't realize what I had and got it all wet. That's what those weird blotches on the picture are.