Photo taken by Denny S. Bryce 1/1/10 in Baltimore, MD

Good thing I’m taking a feature article writing course beginning next week. I swear some days I have no idea how to kick start my blog post. It has to do with how my brain works. I have at least a dozen story/article ideas a minute, all of which I think are good ideas at the time I think them. Then when I’m in front of the computer, fingers poised, I go through a kind of panic and I’m stuck.

And damn it – this post should be the easiest of the year. It’s the first of 2010 and I have no reason to feel defeated about anything because nothing has happened yet.

Anyway, here’s the deal. I’m hanging out in Baltimore, wanted a change of scenery for the New Year and wanted a neutral environment where I could reflect on 2009 without being reminded of failed goals (my living room sofa can do that sometimes). Top of my list, of course, is what’s up with the manuscript. I’m somewhat frantic about it on a daily basis. I feel I have no control over when my writing mood hits (and 2 a.m. is getting old, people). So I need control, it’s going to be one of my resolutions for 2010. Carve out a specific time during the day for writing, another time for reading, and another time for work (the gig that pays the bills). I’m going to make it easy on myself in the beginning. I am committed to writing (working on the manuscript that is, because I write all day long) a minimum of two hours a day. Those two hours cannot begin before I’ve exercised and had breakfast, period. The final resolution is the two hours can’t start after 8 p.m. Today, I’ve completed the first two – exercised and ate breakfast (didn’t get around to breakfast until 1 p.m., but day 1 is shaky on the ‘resolution train’). So next I need my two hours of writing, writing, writing.

In the meantime, this weekend, I’ve got to complete my Marlene Contest application (PS…I guess I have to enter for real. I just paid the $25 entry fee!) and finalize my agent list. I’ve got two so far. But what should I do about the one I submitted to this past summer following RWA? I haven’t heard from her since August. Should I resubmit? Anybody got ideas?

Also, I reorganized my blog this morning. Got rid of things I don’t need on it – and kept things I do. It’s definitely honing in on the real me. That is the Denny S. Bryce me. She’s a writer of fiction, so anything that distracts me from that doesn’t have a place on this blog. Okay!

Yeah. I thought you’d agree.

And Happy New Year!