Happy New Year!

It's the new year, 2012, and all is shiny and bright. It's the time for resolutions and considerations and for clean starts. I haven't really made any serious resolutions this year - though I do have a few goals.

One of the things I aim to do this year is get a couple of the manuscripts I have shaped up and submitted to publishers.

I like self-pubbing stuff, but I also like having things at epublishers - covering my bases, if you will. But mostly I think it's good from the standpoint of getting valuable feedback. Publishers - and particularly editors making the choices about what stories to accept or not accept - judge with a discerning eye. They are at once the harshest audience and the most helpful partners. Even if the manuscripts I have in mind don't work out (and at least one is strange enough that I really don't know if any of the publishing houses would be willing to take a chance with it, even if they loved it), the process of submission is helpful.

In addition to the writing goals, I have a few others. I aim to have my desk cleared and keep my desk clean. This is a serious problem for me, so being able to do that would be a major accomplishment. I'm notoriously terrible about having things piled on any flat surface.

Another goal is to try to find a stinking comment plug-in that works for this site. Thus far we haven't been very successful, but that doesn't mean we won't keep trying.

Also with the site, we are working on getting RSS feed and an app you can load for smartphones. Won't that be fun?

Between the technology and the writing and the attempt at a clean desk, I am hoping to keep myself on track this year.

But mostly - definitely mostly - happy new year to you and yours. May it be full of love, joy, and success.

--Elise