Bre Writes Books

December Results

Finish To Have A Heart

I finished the first draft of the novel in December! I finished a day early too!

Now, it’s time to figure out what my next project is!

Publish more online

I have published a lot online this month. I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished over the last few weeks. I took a week off between Christmas and New Years (to write the rest of my novel), but I am excited to get it going again.

Looking forward to more opportunities in 2024!

Publish something

This year, one of my goals was to publish something. Technically, I do have something published (a poetry book that never took off or ended up on Amazon). It’s been a year of learning and growing, but no true publishing yet.

Next year is my year to publish!

Year End Round Up

Write Every Day of 2023

I managed to write every single day of 2023! 365 days of some kind of writing (and a lot of days it was a lot of words!)

I could not be happier and more proud of myself. I thought 2023 was going to be the year of edits, but it was still the year of writing too. I wrote and edited a lot this year. This is the year I truly felt like a writer who had my life together. I can only hope it continues.

Edit Three Novels

2023 was supposed to be the year of edits, and I gave it a good shot, but didn’t quite get 3 novel edited.

-Book of Poetry (edited in March/April)

-MAC/Book 1 (About 10 chapters left to edit)

Thankfully, I got a taste for editing over the year and now I know how to improve my craft over the next year.

Edit Twelve short stories

• Congratulations- Written Jan 2015; Edited Jan 2023
• H-E- Double Hockey Sticks- Written and Edited Jan 2023
• Samson- Written 2014; Edited Feb 2023
• Thanks For the Hand- Written and Edited April 2023
• Mad With The Moon-written Feb 2021; edited June 2023
• Love Lines- written Jan 2014; edited June 2023
• The Way Out-Written August 2022; Edited June 2023
• Room 1134- Written and edited July 2023
• Honeydew- Written June 2020; Edited August 2023 and September 2023

9/12 short stories edited this year. I made an effort, and made some progress. I have plans in 2024 to take the next step with a few of the stories. Stay tuned for exciting updates in 2024!

Read Twelve Books

• Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olsen- finished January 2023
• All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban- Finished January 2023
• The Will and The Wild by Charlie N. Holmberg- Finished February 2023
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas- Finished March 2023
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas- Finished March 2023
• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Mass- finished March 2023
• Queen of Ruin by K.F. Breene- finished June 2023
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid -finished June 2023
• A Writer’s Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld- finished July 2023
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery- Finished August 2023
• Soul of Smoke by Caitlyn McFarland-Finished August 2023
• Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery-finished August 2023
• Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery-Finished August 2023
• Shadow of Flame by Caitlyn McFarland- finished August 2023
• Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery- Finished September 2023
• Truth of Embers by Caitlyn McFarland- Finished September 2023
• Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine- Finished September 2023
• Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery-Finished October 2023
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones- Finished October 2023

19/12 books. I overshot this goal and I am so glad I did. I’ve read a lot of series this year and finished a few I started in 2022 or earlier. The joy of reading has returned after years. I feel such delight when I read a good plot twist or learn something new from reading. I only hope to produce the same in my readers some day.

Publish Something (Either Traditional or Indie)

When I created this goal, I wanted to publish a book, a novel, but that didn’t quite happen this year. Instead, I decided I would put out a short story on Amazon (self published) but I rushed it, so I ended up pulling it back down.

• Love Lines- Short Story- Published June 2023 (And deleted October 2023)

While I didn’t publish a novel, and I pulled down the short story, I did start a substack (Music That Shaped Me) and I’ve been more consistent writing on Medium and here on the blog. While it isn’t exactly what I had planned for the publishing goal, it technically is publishing. I’m really proud of the consistency I’ve found in 2023.

Participate in Most (If not all) NYC Midnight Writing Contests.

• Short Story Challenge
  This one was not that bad. 8 days was not enough time because I procrastinated and had to push to write and edit in the last few days to make sure it was submitted on time.
  RESULTS: 5th place. Moved to round 2.
  Round 2: I had so much fun in round 2, and I fully laughed at myself and was able to have fun despite the silliness surrounding it.
  RESULTS: Did not place in round 2.
• Screenwriting Challenge
  This one, I skipped. I signed up for it with high hopes, but screenwriting and scripts aren’t really my thing under a deadline.
• Microfiction (100 words)
  I’ve always really liked this one, and not only because it’s short. 100 words is extremely hard to tell a story in, but that’s what makes it fun. I really enjoyed having to write a suspense/thriller in 100 words or less.
  RESULTS: Placed 1st! 🎉 Moved on to second round.
  RESULTS: Did not place in round 2.
• Flash Fiction
  This is the NYC Midnight challenge that started it all. I have such a fond enjoyment of this challenge and each and every prompt teaches me something new. This time was a genre I have never actually tried to write, so it was fantastic.
  RESULTS: Did not place in round 1
  RESULTS: Did not place in round 2
• Microfiction (500 Word)
  This challenge I unfortunately did not take part in because I lost track of my days. There’s always next year (I hope)
• Microfiction (250 word)
  Passed on this one. It was right after November and I was so excited about my novel still and didn’t want to break the excitement. I wanted to finish the novel and not start something new. I also forgot to sign up for it until it had passed, so oops!
  

  Finished Projects

• Little Earthquakes- a novel based off of a Tori Amos album of the same name
• Short Stories
  -Rocketman
  -Luka
• Through the Walls- A short story and Poetry Collection (schoolwork)
• Honeydew- A short play (Schoolwork)
• Various Fanfictions of popular book and TV series.
  
  1. The Names That Bind- ACOTAR
  2. You Don’t Need to Love Me- ACOTAR
  3. Hidge Week 2018- Voltron Legendary Defender
  4. Shave and a Haircut and Two Bits of Advice- Anne of Green Gables
  5. Carried Away By Love- Miraculous Ladybug
  6. Futures- A Captain Planet Fanfiction
• To Have a Heart- A 2023 NaNoWriMo Novel
  
  

Yearly Word Count: 483,720

2023 has been one of my best years yet. A lot of amazing things have happened, both writing and non-writing related and I am so happy with where I’m ending this year and starting the next.

Happy New Year!

See you in 2024!