I love setting goals, for the same reason I like lists in general: they help me feel in control and organized, and it’s fun to check things off once they are taken care of. I like to include a mix of easy things and stuff that will stretch me a bit, and to avoid items that rely too much on luck or the whims of others.

So here are my 2010 goals for writing, reading, and everything else:

• Complete a draft of a new book.
• Post new writing each month on the Chasing Inspiration community, and to use it as an opportunity to play with writing and try new things.
• Participate in three book-related events or conventions (frex, ALA Midwinter, Hudson Book Festival).
• Create a new PRUNELLA-based presentation (maybe reader-theater)?
• Create and post a vlog or other video related to my writing.
• Get set up for Skype and promote my availability for Skype visits.
• Create a detailed list of updates I’d like to do for my website, and hand it off to my webdesigner.
• Read all the nominated books for the new YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction award (I’ve already read two of them).
• Try out five new recipes.
• Attend at least one session of Fiddlicious. If I like it, go more!
• Try out the Zumba classes at the gym.
• Create some sort of community for the dog owners in my city so we can coordinate volunteer work at the new dog park.
• Go to the U-pick strawberry place and make jam with the bounty.
• To do some sort of obedience/agility class with Charlie.
• Go away for a long weekend somewhere new and interesting with Bob (we’re saving money and vacation time for a 2011 UK trip but we do want to have some fun this year too).

And I have one more writing resolution (see #1 and #2) to try to stick to throughout 2010 and beyond. And that is: Strive and Reach!

Which basically boils down to: keep trying new things, don’t be afraid to write outside my comfort zone, don’t fall into a rut or start thinking that I can only write one kind of book. Hopefully Goal #2 above will help with this one!

I don’t re-read books very often, especially books that are not childhood favorites or comfort reads. There are so many books out there I haven’t read even once I have a hard time justifying reading anything twice, even if I loved it. But last week I did re-read a book that I originally read not two years ago: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

And I loved it. I’m really glad I re-read it, because the experience the second time around was truly different than the first. I’m trying to refrain from spoilers, sp without going into details, I will say that this book really made me consider something I hadn’t thought about as a writer. That is, what makes a book remain engaging (or even become more interesting and rewarding) on a re-read? It’s not something I ever really considered when writing my own stories, although now that I consider them from that light, I like to think there are aspects of all three that would reward a re-read. But what an interesting challenge, as a writer, to think about what one can do to make a story appealing not just the first time around, but the second and third and twelfth.

What do you guys think? What books do you re-read, and why? What do you hope to get out of a book when you re-read it? Are you looking for a reiteration of the original experience, or are you hoping to discover further details you missed and additional layers of meaning?

For me it can be both — with comfort reads it’s mostly about reliving the same beloved tale over again, but I do love it when I find new reasons to love a book, as I did with The Thief.

And on a completely unrelated note: I have all the entries in now for my holiday book giveaway, and I’ll be drawing the two winners later today and posting the results tomorrow if all goes to plan. Thank you everyone who entered!

I’m a big fan of taking stock of things at the end of each calender year, and I love dreaming up lists of goals for each new year. In my own personal vocabulary, a goal is something that you can easily measure and check off when you have done it. Something like “write a new book” or “run in a 5K race”. A resolution is more amorphous, more ongoing, like “be a more understanding friend” or “enjoy nature more”. So generally speaking, I go for goals rather than resolutions. I’ll be posting closer to the end of the year about my goals for 2010. This year, however, I’ve also got three writing resolutions.

Here’s the first: I will not feel guilty about sticking to my own writing process.

There are so many different ways to write, a whole spectrum of possibilities, and one of the things I’ve been recognizing lately is that understanding one’s own process is one of the most important keys to success as a writer. And yet, just yesterday I was talking with a writer friend about how we both like to take a relatively long break (I will take anywhere from a month to two months) between projects. And we both commented on how easy it is to feel guilty over that (especially when there are other writers out there who seem to plunge right into their next project within days or even hours of finishing the previous one).

I’ve been on a writing holiday since mid-November when I abandoned NaNoWriMo. Over the last month I’ve spent the time I would have spent writing on painting our library, reading, Christmas prep, and watching Project Runway (among other things). On the surface it doesn’t look like I’m doing anything remotely like writing. And maybe I haven’t. There’s a voice in my head that likes to hiss at me that I’m lazy, that I should be writing every single day.

I think these breaks revitalize my writing, like a good night’s sleep. They give my back-brain time to synthesize ideas and work the still-mysterious-to-me alchemy that produces characters who can make my plot outlines come alive. And even if that’s not true, I’ve still been producing one new book per year, even with those breaks. And I’m happy with that. I like that pace. It works for me. So why the guilt?

I think there’s an innate dangerous quality to the human psyche that makes us doubt ourselves if we feel like we are doing something “different”. But seriously, we need to get over that instinct because we are ALL doing something different.

So that’s my resolution: no guilt over writing the way I need to write.

What about you guys? Do you ever feel like you don’t write “the right way”? That you ought to change your process?

I don’t read a lot of picture books, though I occasionally page through my own childhood favorites or read with my friends’ two-year-old daughter. But when I saw that The Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville ME was hosting an event with Chris Van Dusen, author and illustrator of THE CIRCUS SHIP, I knew I had to be there. Firstly, because I have a current obsession with circuses. And secondly, because I’ve long wanted to visit The Children’s Book Cellar, which is one of two (I think?) dedicated children’s bookstores in Maine, and is run by the marvelous Ellen Richmond.

Accordingly I ventured forth on Saturday after Thanksgiving with my mom and dad (Bob was working). The store itself was bright and colorful and welcoming: perfect for a children’s bookstore. And I found lots of great books featured on the shelves. Here are two I was particularly happy to see:

Kate Messner’s lovely contemporary middle grade THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z and Kate Coomb’s middle grade fantasy THE RUNAWAY DRAGON (currently on my to-read list).

We roamed around the store for a bit as dozens of other patrons lined up to get copies of THE CIRCUS SHIP signed. We ended up meeting Chris Van Dusen’s very charming wife, and my parents discovered a number of mutual acquaintances (the Van Dusens live in the same area we did when I was a kid). Eventually there was a reading, which seemed to enthrall the kids (and the adults) who were on hand:

I was reading along in my copy, so I could get a close look at all the fantastic illustrations. I have always loved best those sorts of illustrations — the ones rich with little quirks and hidden details. The story itself is also utterly charming, and it was fascinating to hear Chris talk about the (sad) real-world inspiration (a ship of circus animals that was lost off the Maine coast) and how he wanted to turn it into something joyful with a happy ending. I love seeing how writers play with reality, shaping it and turning it into something new that feeds our dreams.

So if you are looking for a picture book to give as a gift this holiday season, I highly recommend THE CIRCUS SHIP. It’s colorful, fun to read, and uplifting. Plus, Chris was a warm, generous and just plain nice guy. Thank you Chris and Ellen for a wonderful and inspiring book event!

Four ways to win free stuff!

ONE: My holiday giveaway is still open until midnight December 18th. You can win one of two prize packs of books: fairy-dusted (SPELL HUNTER and EYES LIKE STARS) or ghostly (SHADOWED SUMMER and GIVE UP THE GHOST). Comment here to enter!

TWO: Stephanie Burgis is giving away an ARC of her forthcoming fantasy A MOST IMPROPER MAGICK over here. I am very very excited about reading this book as it sounds like just my sort of thing, but I’m not entering the contest myself since I plan to wait and get my own copy. But I encourage any of you who love historical fantasy to hurry over and enter!

THREE: There’s just one more day left to enter Megan Crewe’s end of the year giveaway (which includes a copy of FORTUNE’S FOLLY, yay!). You can do so here.

FOUR: It’s the very last Debness contest over on the Debut 2009 community that has saved my sanity more than once this crazy debut year. The contest runs for only one day, so hurry over for your chance to win a bag full of nifty swag from dozens of debs. Click the icon below to find out more!