As a writer, an aspiring author, I have gone through up and downs in life and in my writing. Rejections, set backs, personal stuff all impact on how productive I have been as well as on the quality of my work. Trying to do things too fast, wanting to be pubished now, can affect objectivity of ones writing and often lead to embarrassing early submission of work not yet ready.
When I first started to write it was like a disease. I couldn’t stop. Ideas consumed me. Yet I could barely write a grammatically correct sentence. So I wrote and studied and revised, trying to catch up with the rest of the world. Then I did other things all writing related. Ran a convention or two, helped other writers, edited, published and beta read for published authors. And now after a big dry spell I feel all productive again. In December 2009 I wrote and submitted three short stories. That is almost like my old days. Well except now I am a much better writer than I was back then. Some of the rawness has sloughed off. My ideas I hope are more complex, more original and maybe better finessed. We will see. So far one has been accepted for publication. I am hoping for more productivity in 2010 and maybe some more short story subs and sending the novels out again, but improved versions. I want to kick them up a level. I know I can do it.
I will start the year off with a bang. Off on a two week writing retreat in Berry NSW with fellow retreatees, Matthew Farrer, Trudi Canavan, Russell Kirkpatrik, Kylie Seluka, Cat Sparks and Nicole R Murphy. You can hear about all our antics on fantasywritersonretreat.wordpress.com
Beware there is usually a lot of sillyness, drunkeness and teasing going on. Yet we do usually achieve our goals. Mine is 60,000 words on the novel and maybe some other stuff too. I am so excited. It is not often you can hang with people who get the need for writing, the addition to our pcs and the lack of interest in housework.
Donna Maree Hanson, Author and PhD Candidate 
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