2006 Writing Accomplishments

I have been gone from blogging and from AW - AbsoluteWrite - my favorite writers' forum for only three weeks -- but my sabbatical is over and I am back.

Is it really December already? The month came too fast -- how can it be the end of the year?

I recently read my list of accomplishments for 2005 and read my goals for 2006 (jan 2006 archives) -- yikes -- oh well.

Even though I did not accomplish all I wrote about, I'm not disappointed. That was just me thinking out loud at the time. I actually feel I accomplished plenty in my writing career this year.

Writing accomplishments in 2006:

* Covered the World Ag Expo -- writing 2 to 3 stories a day
* Wrote several stories for Salser and Dillard (for an international funeral industry magazines/my stories were published in the U.S., Holland and in Germany)
* Continued freelancing for The Fresno Bee, South Valley Bee (newspapers)
* Continued freelancing for The Porterville Recorder (newspaper)
* Started freelancing for Valley Voice (newspaper)
* Wrote the majority of stories (20) for "Living Here" publication
* Wrote all of the agriculture stories for the "South County Pride - Ag" publication
* Wrote one story for the "South County Pride - People" publication (Frank "Buck" Shaffer)
* Started BuckShaffer.com
* Worked on several other websites
* Attended my first Writers' Conference
* Presented six classes of "Journalism 101" -- Career Day presentations for jr. high students.
* Entered my first internet short story contest on Jason Evan's site, Clarity of Night -- AND WON SECOND PLACE!
* Reviewed a book for the first time ever -- The Pacific Between by Ray Wong
* Traveled with Porterville Panther Band to the East Coast -- writing daily band stories
* Had my blog site and website reviewed by Cobwebs of the Mind
* Wrote the "Women in Business" stories for Porterville publication
* Had a story published in Fall/Winter edition of Discover Magazine (distributed all over the Valley)
* Had a story accepted by Overture Magazine (Hollywood musicians' magazine - runs in January)
* Recorded television commercials (English & Spanish) for Bakersfield Californian newspaper
* Recorded radio commercial (English & Spanish) for Bakersfield Californian newspaper
* Was asked to contribute stories to two local magazines (starting soon)
* Will travel with Porterville Panther Band Dec. 29 - Jan. 2 to the Rose Parade - will write daily stories for the local paper.

Goals for 2007:
Continue to expand my writing portfolio.