A Look Back on Writing 2010

It's time to take stock of what I've written in 2010. Since as a writer I always feel behind, like I haven't done nearly enough, like I'm sinking under the weight of all my projects, periodically I need to remind myself of what I have managed to accomplish.

First, I finished my YA verse novel Orchards, which is due out from Delacorte/Random House in February 2011.
What a pleasure it was to work on the fine tuning of the manuscript this year with my Delacorte editor Francoise Bui and to be able to share my thoughts and suggestions for the spot illustrations. I can't wait to see the final hardcover copy.

In the beginning of 2010 I set to work on another YA verse novel, which is now up to about 300 pages. Research for this new novel has taken me to Lowell, Massachusetts, to various health care providers, and will take me to Cambodia in 2011. Each book I write sends me on a new, eye-opening journey.

In April I tackled the Poem a Day challenge and wrote thirty new poems. More recently, in November, I wrote 30 picture book ideas for Picture Book Idea Month and managed 26 poems for Poem A Day Chapbook Challenge. I just posted to my poetry group two revised poems from that PAD challenge for this month's cririques.

I also revised picture books, and I researched and wrote two new picture books. Now and then through the year I've had moments to revisit my adult novel-in-progress and collection of short stories. And I've written a number of articles including those for Wingspan, the ANA inflight magazine.

So when I'm being hard on myself and feeling that my weekly or monthly word count is deficient, or that other writers are doing more, I have to remind myself that word by word, page by page...between the full-time job, family, and myriad other obligations...books, stories, poems and articles are, in fact, getting written. Here's to many words in 2011!