My daughter’s neighborhood had a block party last night, so I spent New Year’s Eve there. It was the first New Year’s in my memory that I can remember not working with a band in some way. Thankfully, the weather here in NE Louisiana was great, there was lots of food and drink, my son-in-law and his brothers put together a spectacular fireworks display, and I was able to play with my grandson. All in all, a fine night.
So now, on this first day of 2007, I must reflect on my past year. Like other years, it was a mixture of the good and bad. About the bad: I have always had a knack of getting the dumb ass, skilled enough at bloopers and faux pas to earn my own episode on Tales of the Crypt. I’ll keep those details to myself.
About the good: I’ve met some of the coolest people this past year, added some of them as close friends (one as my now best friend) and I’ve had some wonderful life-changing experiences. I’ve had some writing victories and successes. Later, I’ll post more on each of these items in this paragraph I’m sure.
I had wanted to read 52 books this year. I only read 40, though that is a few more than what I had read in 2005. I started keeping a list of the movies I watched, but abandoned it. I may try that again, but I haven’t made up my mind.
Regarding resolutions:
1) To read 52 books and record author, title, date of completion in my book reading diary.
2) To do at least one reading, speech, or book signing per week to promote my writing. I intend to spend this whole summer (including a trip to Florida) promoting my writing, so I’ll be on the road a great deal.
*According to Amazon, my children’s book is coming out in Februrary! Go to Amazon.com and search for “Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House.” I hope to have some other books accepted for publication this year as well.
3) I will camp out in Alabama at Roaring Winds State Park near the cave where my Confederate ancestor, William Warren Keel, worked in the militia making gunpowder. I’ll get a story out of that I know. I put off going to Grand Isle before Katrina, and boy, am I sorry for that! I won’t make the same mistake this year.
4) I intend to enter one writing contest or make one fiction submission per week.
5) I fell behind in my reading of magazines (my main two being the Oxford American and Writer’s Chronicle) so I will be be disciplined and read articles every week.
6) I will update and redo my website and market myself shamelessly through queries, proposals, and hard work generally. I intend to get myself in print in as many ways as possible.
7) I will smoke and drink less to save money and get more work done. (There are other personal resolutions and goals that I cannot share at this time on this blog).
8) I will cull, organize, and file papers and books. This madness of random piles of papers must stop! I wasted too much time last year looking for particular items.