Updated goals for 2012

I know it's difficult to see my goal tally on the sidebar. For some reason, Blogger automatically shrinks it even when I tell it not to. I've updated and revised my goals for this year.

I'm doing very well with writing and submitting a short story every month. I even have May's story written already. It's a sci-fi piece and my first attempt using an omniscient POV. I like the way it turned out. I'll have it critiqued by my writer's group at our monthly meeting and then I'll submit it.

I've gotten a couple of rejections lately, but this morning I was happy to find an acceptance in my inbox. My paranormal crime short story, "Immaculate" has been accepted by The Harrow Press for their anthology, Mortis Operandi. I don't know the release date yet, possibly November or December, but I'll keep you posted.

I planned to revise three of my novels this year, but it wasn't happening. Other things in life have to take priority, and so I've changed my novel goals for this year. I'll still participate in NaNoWriMo. I can't miss that! I'm not sure what I'll write yet, but that's still a little while off.

I started on my revisions for my paranormal romance, Witch's First Rule. I've done a lot of work on it, and it's survived two drafts so far. I love most of the changes I've made, but the one thing I'm struggling with is changes to the protagonist. This manuscript had gotten a lot of attention from agents and publishers when I queried it, but they always passed after reading the full manuscript. Two were kind enough to send personalized rejection letters. The problem they had was the protagonist. They feared readers wouldn't be able to relate to her. Basically, they felt the protagonist was too much of a b!tch. Yes, my protagonist is sometimes dominant, selfish, and defensive. (There's a reason why, but it would spoil the plot if I explained why!) So while I was revising, I attempted to make her more likable, to soften her hard edges. I realize it's important that readers need to be able to relate to the main character, but I didn't like how I changed her. I wasn't happy. She wasn't happy. It was her hard edge that made her unique. So I've stopped. I'm not going to change my protagonist. I've put it aside for the moment until I decide what exactly I want to do with it. Self-publish or seek a small publisher? I'll know with more certainty what I want to do after I complete my next project which will take me on a self-publishing adventure.

I'm writing a paranormal romance/urban fantasy series consisting of six novellas. They'll be in the same vein as my story from the A to Z Challenge. I'm really excited about this project. I considered seeking a publisher for them, but with the way my life is at the moment, I don't know if I could keep deadlines. I want the freedom to move at my speed and to promote the series as I want. It will also be a good way to see if I want to self-publish anything else in the future. Self-publishing has its own challenges, but I need that flexibility right now in my life. I won't say anything else about this project until I have more to give you, but it's going to be so much fun.

Have a good weekend!