Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, it's true. Today I turn another year older. There's no big bonus for my new age - it's not a milestone age like turning 21 or 30 or 50 - so no big thing there. I don't even think I gain any bonus senior discounts. However, while I do gain tons of adoration from my many friends, there's one thing I always give myself time for on my birthday. It is a great time to do a little self-inventory, and a part of that for me as a writer is to look over everything I have written (in a broader sense). This type of recognition is strictly for my own personal satisfaction; to see how many miles I put under my shoes as a writer. I don't compare them year-to-year to see if I am slowing down or speeding up. As a writer (and as a person in general), the only important part is moving forward.

So, what are my tallies as a writer for the past 366 days? Well, I attended 63 workshops in one form or another - that works out to a little more than one a week, mostly in the evening, about 120 hours of writing practice and inspiration. If you look at that kind of activity over the past 15 years of workshopping (I've done it for longer than that, but 15 keeps the math simple), that's 1,800 hours of workshopping - discussions, dissections, challenging and being challenged by other writers, listening to some great works and some that I discovered weren't all that great, and the occasional drinks afterward, pizza-related gatherings, and so forth. If you want to be a writer, chalking up the workshop hours is important.

I have written 71 short stories of wildly varying quality since my last birthday, and it is no small feat to do so. Some were assignments of barely 300 words, the largest about twenty pages. Most are first drafts; ideas that just needed to be put somewhere other than my brain. Some are psychological purges, others just playful romps. However, they all carry their own value and they've made a difference on my adventure as a writer. I have reached that point where someone can bring up a weird idea or concept, and I will immediately think about how it can become a story. A thought recently (like three minutes ago) bounced into my head - "The Last Lighthouse on Earth" - and now I want to throw down some ideas for just what would make that a great little story, character sketch, or whatever.

I've taken on a few editing projects and helped fellow authors get published since last February, which I secretly love. A part of it is that I find a quiet thrill when the author pays for my editing with an envelope stuffed with cash. However, I really get the most enjoyment from putting some polishing on someone else's work. It gives me a chance to see it up close, study its little details, and borrow some of those concepts to hone my own craft. (After all, all writers are scavengers.) In that regard, it's not work, it's a soothing meditation about getting writing just perfect.

And lastly, I have written 77 blog posts since the last birthday popped up. Full confession: I do this in part for myself. Don't get me wrong - I have fans who love my writing and they are a big reason why I write, but they're not the only reason. As I have mentioned before, everything I write is a part of building up my writing process, exercising my writing muscles, and exploring a little deeper into the chaotic, crazed mind of my inner creativity to pull out the occasional nugget of sanity. You just get the luxury (or burden) of reading it.

So, I am another year older, a little bit wiser, and my keyboard is a little more beaten up (yes, I wear out keyboards). And looking back on the past year, I can honestly say that I don't have any real writing-related regrets. The only one that might count is recently breaking my hand, but only because it really stomped on the quality of my typing for the past few weeks.

Anyway - Happy Birthday to Me! (And it's National Random Acts of Kindness Day, so there's that too.)