Wrapping up 2014 with fun memories and thoughts on writing

Hello everyone! It's almost 2015! Happy Holidays! I thought I might finish off my 2014 posts by talking about some of the awesome things I've done this year (things I have told you about and things I haven't!)

Here's a look at what I have done this year with my writing:

1) Started submitting to literary magazines before starting college

2) Met Randy Davila, CEO of Hierophant Publishing and Hampton Roads Publishing, presented him with the idea for my novel Promises Made, Kept and Broken and got a signed copy of his book Think Like A Publisher!

3) Enrolled in a poetry class at my university. I had to waitlist myself, but it was totally worth it!

4) Submitted my book proposal to Randy Davila as part of a contest of sorts. It wasn't accepted, but I have faith that it will be soon enough.

5) Met Zadie Smith, Chen Li, Lauren Berry, Erin Belieu, Kyle Anderson and Alex Lemon, all awesome people and highly admirable writers.

6) Got a front row seat to a lecture by Zadie Smith. I was nearly late, but as soon as I got to the auditorium, an usher told me there were seats in the front row ONSTAGE! Zadie Smith was literally ten feet in front of me. I was so happy.

7) Had breakfast tacos with Zadie Smith and other Creative Writing teachers and students while discussing writing, rejection and reading. Zadie even mentioned that she'd read Black Swan Green and Cloud Atlas, which made me extremely happy, since I love those books and, up until then, hadn't met anyone else who had read them. It was a very insightful talk.

8) Met the poet and translator Chen Li from Taiwan, who came to my poetry class and talked about some of his poems that we had read in class. His perspective on writing and inspiration really made me think about it differently, and challenged me to try new things while writing.

9) Attended a semi-private poetry lecture by Lauren Berry and Erin Belieu, who blew the roof off with their amazing spirits and poetry. I bought a copy of Erin's newest poetry collection, Slant Six, which has some great stuff in it, as does Black Box, which was required reading for my poetry class. She even signed it for me! I told her about my desire to get published, especially with poetry (what with my class experience), and she told me to make sure my poetry was mature enough before I sent it out. She encouraged me to continue writing and keep up my work.
As for Lauren Berry, I approached her and admitted, somewhat ashamedly, that I had forgotten my copy of her award-winning poetry collection, The Lifting Dress, which I'd been required to read for my Poetry Writing class. But I did, I told her, bring an imitation of one of her poems (an assignment for my class) called "Petition on a Concrete Bench Saturday", a response to "The Just-Bled Girl Writes A Petition On Hotel Paper". I showed it to Lauren, who said it was very cute and wanted to read it. I promised to scan it to her, and she signed it, thanking me for the courage to share my work. She was really happy to see my work, and said in an email that she looked forward to reading it.

10) Lauren Berry and Erin Belieu came to my Poetry Class and talked a bunch about their work and experiences. It was enlightening and, all-around, fun. I hope to do interviews with them in the near future.

11) Attended a semi-private lecture by poets Kyle Anderson and Alex Lemon. The Wish Book, one of Lemon's poetry collections, was also required reading for my poetry class. Both Kyle and Alex did a great job of reading their poetry. Alex even signed my copy of The Wish Book and answered my questions and concerns on writing with great enthusiasm and an unbeatable charisma. Talking to him, as well as to Lauren Berry and Erin Belieu, made me less afraid of rejection, or at least a little more ready to face it.

12) Started submitting to literary magazines again, starting with my school's magazine and moving on to others. I hadn't gotten any acceptances with my previous chain of submissions, but I feel that this round will be very different. I've learned so much, experienced so much, and my writing has changed permanently, for good.

13) Over the past few months, I did three readings: one in Austin and two in San Antonio. One was in September, at a library in Austin, but did not receive the attendance I'd been hoping for. The other two were Open Mics that proved highly successful for sharing my poetry and meeting others with similar interests. Like the lectures I'd attended, the Open Mics gave me a very clear idea of how I could read my poetry in a more engaged, engaging way, as well as other topics I could address in the future. I had a lot of fun and hope to participate again very soon.

These are the main events that come to mind when I think about this year. Looking at this list, I feel a lot more accomplished. Sometimes, when you're so caught up in your writing, you forget how much you've accomplished, how hard you've worked. I do like to keep the future in mind, thinking of where I truly want to go, but I don't forget what I've gone through, who I've met and what I've learned. And of course, I keep my main focus on the present, on what's going on right now, on how I feel this very moment as a writer.

I'm very grateful for all the opportunities I had this year, everyone I've met and everything I've learned. It's been a lot of hard work, but I'm enthusiastic and open to working even harder in 2015.

That year (less than two hours from now!!), I will be published. It doesn't matter how many magazines and companies I have to submit to. I will be published, and more than once! I'll do more poetry readings, probably even with multiple people, new poet friends I met this year :) People will start recognizing my name more. It will be a happy, wonderful, successful 2015.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

;),
Courtney


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Comeback! Book Proposal, Poetry and More!

Hello everyone! LOTS of news.

I haven't been keeping up with the blog lately due to lots of college assignments, activities etc...But now that winter break has arrived, I plan to catch up with all my posts and tell you about my plans!

In case I did not post it earlier (or, at least, not through this medium), the book proposal for my novel, "Promises Made, Kept and Broken", was not accepted. It was a tough competition, and I knew that my novel wasn't the kind of book usually published by that company. Still, after a workshop I attended that allowed me to participate in the contest, I thought it would be a great opportunity. I am grateful for all I learned and all that is to come.

Meanwhile, at my university, I took my first ever Poetry Writing class and it was AMAZING. The professor, Jenny Browne, is a wonderful person and excellent instructor. She helped me out a lot with my writing and aspirations. She writes her own poetry too, so you should check it out sometime :)

For Jenny's class, I not only learned to write better poetry, but I also got the opportunity to meet other recognized authors!! My experiences range from breakfast tacos with Zadie Smith to insightful conversations with Lauren Berry, Alex Lemon and Erin Belieu over candy and poetry collections. (More on these experiences later ;) )

I also participated in two Open Mics sponsored by my school's literary magazine. There were some really great people there, lots of talent and good food. The responses have been very encouraging, and I am sure I will participate in more Open Mics in the semester to come! I also submitted to my school's literary magazine and hope to receive a very positive response.

Right now, most of my goals are centered around my poetry. I have started up magazine submissions again and hope for more success this time around. Then, hopefully, I will publish a poetry collection with my accepted submissions (either self- or regular, depending on the circumstances) sometime next year. As for my novel, I'll still be working on it, changing aspects of plot and prose. I don't have a set date for when I want it published, but know that I am thinking about it a lot, and plan to work on it more now that I am out for break.

Thanks again for your time and enthusiasm! I will send more updates soon on other exciting news :)

Courtney

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