Although my grandmother wouldn't find it very "ladylike" to announce my age to everyone on the internet, this particular milestone has taken up a lot of space in my brain lately, so I'm going to go ahead an (over?)share. Besides, it's not like information is private anymore. It would take someone all of 4.2 seconds to find out what I ate for dinner last night, never mind my DOB. (I'll save you the trouble. Pizza.)
My husband threw a little shindig for me this past weekend and I have to admit, it did soften the blow of such a, uh, grown up birthday. Forty. Four to the zero. The big 4-oh. Yikes. I really can't pretend to be just a kid anymore, can I?
As much as I'm going to hate no longer being thirty-something, it's an excellent time to recount where I am in life, and where I want to be. I couldn't be more happy about my husband and friends. Truly. And my girls...oh, did I mention that they wrote and recited poetry in my honor in front of a room full of people? No? Allow me just that one brag.
But my career. Well. That area needs some work. I admit I'd hoped to have a book published before The Great Day of Reckoning. That would've made the day perfect. Instead, I'm still trudging along. Making progress, yes, and not giving up, but continuing to swim slowly through a vast ocean of publishing molasses.
Still. I'm determined to get there. My craft has improved, and I'm more confident about how to go about actually finishing 300 pages of fiction in a somewhat organized fashion. I started a new project after weeks of hemming and hawing (my agent refers to this as "percolating" which sounds much more productive) and I'm excited to be working on a novel again.
The goalpost might've been moved, but I can still see it.
How about you? Any goals for the upcoming year?
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13 comments:
Happy belated birthday. I can understand the need to share about this birthday, and it sounds like you're handling it quite well.
Good luck in the next year!
Happy big birthday! I've got one coming up as well. Sagittarians rock! And, it's just a matter of time before I'll be buying books with your name on it. ;-)
i believe goalposts are great to encourage forward momentum, but that we shouldn't punish ourselves for not reaching them. after all, we inadvertently achieve other goals we hadn't originally planned to on the way.
happy birthday, Wendy! your star is on the rise!
My fortieth year had lots of great firsts: first airplane ride, first trans-atlantic trip with my first passport. First acceptance letter. So the birthday I was dreading turned out to be a stellar year. Can't wait to see what 43 has in store.
Enjoy your life!
Happy Birthday! Your post really puts things in perspective for me. I just turned 25 and have been whining not stop (in my head) about how I'd hoped to be published before then.. I guess there is no magic number, we just have to keep doing what we love and it'll happen when it's supposed to. Good luck with your next novel!
Your daughters are amazing, btw. I hope mine grows up like that!
Aw, thanks for all the birthday/40/amazing daughter love.
My real bday isn't until later this month, but the party was last weekend. I'm sitting here eating a tiny marzipan me from the top of the cake. Weird.
Happy belated B-day as well.
And the poetry, too sweet, I think I have a toothache!
:D
Keep going-- you'll get that book there yet! My goal is to have my book on sub by the beginning of the year and to finish a new manuscript in the coming year.
Happy birthday, Wendy! You rock.
P.S. My word verification is "reign," which sounds just like what you will be doing very soon. ;)
Happy belated birthday, Wendy!!! I don't get the whole point about lying about age anyway. It is what it is. It doesn't make sense to say otherwise. Weight, however . . . :)
Oh no! I think I missed your day. :( Happy Belated! Sounds like a wonderful celebration for, you know, what it was.
Wendy, Can you recommend any good books for self-editing a large creative nonfiction piece...say 240 pages? How do you keep that many pages of fiction or nonfiction organized? Do you have a preferred method?
I have the same "age goals." My hoped-to-be-published-by-this-point-goal is coming up in a little over a month. Eek!
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