Join Me in the 2015 Anti-Resolution Revolution for Writers!

Happy New Year's Eve 2015. 2016 is literally around the corner and this is the second year I've joined Julie Hedlund, children's author, in this challenge to start my new year of writing right! Julie believes that our usual resolutions come form a place of negativity - what we didn't do. Instead, we are going to set goals for 2016 that build on our achievements of 2015. So, thanks to Julie, here's my list of my successes.

I have goals not dreams that 2016 will add even more successes to  my writing life. Action to goals and my word for 2016 is:
FOLLOW-THROUGH!

MY 2015 SUCCESSES

1. Took 2 craft classes: Making Picture Book Magic w/Susanna Leonard Hill and Pacing to WOW w/ agent Jodell Sadler. (Gift from Jodell, my agent.)
2. Organized a picture books schmooze for 15 local writers while still in Phoenix AZ at The Newton, indie bookstore.
3. Began the study of Nancy I. Sanders YES YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO WRITE BEGINNING READERS & CHAPTER BOOKS. Led a chapter discussion on FB group Word by Word.
4. Posted a pitch for a PB on Susanna Hill's blog series WOULD YOU READ IT WEDNESDAY. I have over 77 responses that said they would read my ms based on the pitch.
5. After we made a cross-country move, I met Ohio writers at the Ohioana Spring Book Festival. I connected with the director of children's programming for the Thurber House & had an interview to teach at Thurber for summer 2016.
6. Attended the Northern Ohio SCBWI conference and roomed w/my agent. Became friends with 2 Cincy writers & met an editor who has an interest in early chapter books.
7. A successful PB author stayed AT MY HOUSE and I arranged a school visit for her at the district from which I retired. She generously read tow of my WIPs and gave feedback.
8. I blogged consistently throughout the year on the GROG. Our page views have topped over 112,000! 
9. I interviewed Lynne Avril, Amelia Bedelia's illustrator, and Salina Yoon, author/illustrator for the blog. Salina's PR person asked me to help procure school visits.
10. Two well-established NF writers asked me to review their newest books on the GROG.
11. I finished my picture book biography on MC and polished it to the point that it is on submission to 5 publishers. Only 1 response so far, but it's a start.
12. I revised 4 mss for ReviMo. (Revision month w/Meg Miller.)
13. Wrote a new ms based on 2 students from an elementary in PHX that I worked w/ for several months. I dedicated it to them and they were so proud. It is now one of my fav mss!
14. From May-July, I participated in an online goggle chat critique group twice a week,
15. I revised 3 mss in preparation for WOW NF Retreat in July. Two of my WIPS had professional writers and another agent engaged enough to laugh.
16. I began to volunteer at my intermediate school from which I retired in the library weekly and took out scores of PBs.
17. I reconnected with the Gahanna Library branch children's director and will help teach a writing class w/intermediate-middle grade students in Feb. 2016. 
18. I began a writing project w/gifted 5th graders and their E/LA teacher called Write 4 Real. We are creating PB bios and as co-teachers we plan to turn the project into an educational book.
19. I refocused on plot and completed Suditpa Bardhan-Quallen's & Kami Kinard's Kid Lit Summer School: The Plot Thickens.
20. I completed my 3rd PIBoIdMo and have 32 ideas for picture books. I wrote several rough crafts of these ideas. 
21. I attended AASL's annual conference and met 2 editors from an educational publisher who may be interested in my Write 4 Real project.
22. I helped many kid lit writers w/feedback and revisions. One writer told me I could charge for my critiques because they were insightful and detailed.
23. I created a PB writing class for adults and pitched it to the Parks & Rec director who liked the idea. Not enough people signed up for it, but I have several modules done on it.
24. I submitted my information for a PB mentorship w/ Stacy McAnulty in 2016 for 6 months and I am a finalist!
25. Forgot one more...just finished the study of WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT for Word by Word and led a chapter discussion.
26. How could I forget that I started a chapter book and am co-writing it w/Pam C.??? 
27. Submitted a proposal for a pullout session at the Virginia Hamilton Conference 2016 and was accepted.
28. Submitted a proposal for the Mazza Summer Institute 2016 and was accepted.

So, that's my 2015 wrapped up in a bow. I do feel I lost momentum when I moved, but I feel good about what I achieved.