2007 Resolutions

Okay, here goes:

1. Finish "The Sixth Element," the boringly titled YA fantasy nobble, and begin sending it out. This is half-drafted and once I'm settled into my new apartment and job (moving this week sometime) I'll go back and finish the second half of my InNoWriMo.

2. Pull another InNoWriMo late in the year and finish the rough draft of the sequel to "The Sixth Element," which will be the second of a trilogy. Yes, I have the whole trilogy planned out. The second book is tentatively titled "The Black Circle" and the third "The Dragon's Breath." These titles all make sense within the context of the story, but they're incredibly boring from without. Maybe that's a good thing. We'll see.

3. Get my pictures framed and hang them on my wall. I've been buying artwork for years and storing it and it's time I started framing it. The suckers have been sitting around too long, taking up space. 2007 will be a visually pleasing year!

4. Buy a car. That is all.

5. Get health insurance.

6. Get on the insulin pump. I'm finally psychologically ready and all I need to do is get health insurance first.

7. Lose and keep off those stupid 15 pounds. Everybody else fluctuates 5 or 10 pounds. I do 15. That's just me.

8. Get all my currently finished stories (all three of them) placed. They're out, you understand. They're all out. But no one's buying. The bastards. I'm gonna have to start sending them to the no sim subs clubs, and thereafter expanding my spreadsheet. You'd think 80 markets is enough to work with, but no.

9. Get the two nearly finished stories finished and placed. Boy am I prolific. In my entire career of writing seriously, which, depending upon how you count "serious" is either 22 years, 10 years, or 5 years, I've only finished five stories to my satisfaction. The first one was sent out, rejected, and retired to a drawer. The second was published. The other three are still making the rounds. But never fear: I'm closing in on two more and 2007 will be the year I finish them. Perhaps I should have made this goal: "get your start-to-finish time on short stories to under a year", but I don't want to defeat myself with unrealistic goals.

10. Visit my sister.

11. Go on at least four trips, 'cause there's much to see and people to do ... er ... One of these will be the lightning field, Pato. Another will, finally, be Smithson's Spiral Jetty (anyone wanna go?)

12. By this time next year be substantially farther along with my yoga practice and the other forms of exercise I'm currently alternating that with. (These include Pilates, the 24 hour fitness fitlite circuit training thing, conventional weight training, power walking, and walk/jog intervals. I think I might add dance for fitness classes and maybe strip for fitness classes, 'cause I'm just classy that way.)

13. Go dancing at least once a month! I love it every time I do it. Why do we not do the things we love? Who's with me?

Thirteen turned out to be my lucky number on New Year's Eve so I'm gonna stick with that. I think these are doable. Love to hear what you all are resolving. Please post links to your own lists. I plan to update when each goal is met, but who knows if I'll remember to do that.

2007 is going to be a good year: productive, fun, and balanced. Yes.