Although a lot of good stuff came out of 2009, I have to say I’m glad to leave this year behind. It was a tough one for me. I won’t get into it other than to say that a long Canadian winter (which I’d never experienced before, having spent my entire life in and around Vancouver, where the temperature rarely dips below zero), plus the isolation and boredom of playing the role of small-town housewife, did not suit me one bit. The second half of the year, thankfully, was much better than the first. Summer arrived, we sold our house, I wrote a novel, we moved West.
Our new life in Vancouver is the culmination of everything Shane and I have worked toward over the last decade. Way back in 2002, Shane was making BMX videos for a living, I was writing my first clumsy short stories and we were drowning in debt. We made some decisions – to clean up our finances, take our relationship seriously and build a family. Once we accomplished those things, we began to dream of a life where both of us could spend our days following our passions. For me, of course, that meant writing. For Shane, it ultimately meant making games on his own.
We’re there. Both of us working from home, creating things we’re passionate about, raising our daughter together, surrounded by an incredible network of friends and family.
2010 can only be amazing.
Kim Family life, Writing life Family life, I love Vancouver, living the dream, Writing life
One of the things I knew I’d miss most about PEI was walking on long, empty stretches of beach. So I was incredibly grateful yesterday morning to find myself alone on a beach in the middle of Vancouver. I know once spring arrives this will never, ever happen, so I’ll be taking advantage of winter to enjoy many solitary early morning walks.
Kim Vancouver goodness
One Shoe Highway was rejected by Strange Horizons. Jed Hartman said he liked the ending but the first half of the story read like too many horror stories he’s seen. It’s a fair comment. What it means to me is that he actually read all the way to the end. And that makes me happy.
Kim The rejection files
Fox Hollow was rejected by Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show some time ago. I haven’t blogged about it because it’s been brought to my attention that the rejection posts may come across as too negative. I can understand why. It’s uncomfortable to hear about failure, and I seriously considered ending the rejection posts.
I’m not going to. Because I don’t see my rejections as failures. They’re just markers along a journey. My purpose with this blog is to document my journey and rejection is a big part of a writer’s life. The more I get, the less they hurt. They also follow an upward trajectory. In the beginning, all my rejections were form letters. Now, I often get personal feedback and comments suggesting my stories are being given serious consideration. They’re a sign of my constant improvement.
Besides, my boldness in publicly airing my rejections springs from my absolute confidence that any day now I’ll have an acceptance to tell you about. And when that happens, you’ll know how exactly how hard I worked for that acceptance and how much it means to me.
Kim The rejection files
Things are coming together here in Vancouver. Our new neighborhood is quiet, beautiful, close to the beach. I’ve already experienced some of the things I love about this city (cheap sushi! KidsBooks! Mink!). This morning Cass and I slept until six, which means that after a week of 4AM wake-ups we must finally be adjusting to West Coast time. Most of the boxes are unpacked and with a few pictures on the walls it’s starting to feel more comfortable. Still, Shane and the cat don’t arrive until Saturday; until then, it’s not quite home.
Lately I’ve found myself wandering aimlessly from room to room feeling as though I’ve forgotten something. I think it has something to do with the fact that I haven’t written anything longer than a shopping list since I got here. It’s what I expected. Moving is a lot of work. And there are many joyous reunions to be had. But I need to get back into a writing routine soon. Not writing makes me cranky. I figure I have a day, two at most, before the grumpiness sets in.
Kim Family life
I’m back on the West Coast. Cass and I flew in to Vancouver yesterday, picked up the keys to the house we’ve rented and headed to my mom’s for a few days to recover from jetlag.
I should be sleeping but I just realized I forgot to write a 50,000 word victory post. Well. My novel is written and I’m officially a NaNoWriMo winner. I’m glad I did it. I’ve got a LOT of revising to do, but I surprised myself with how much I was able to accomplish in such a short period of time. With Cassandra sleeping poorly I had fewer writing hours in a day than usual. But I did it anyway. I was forced to become more focused and efficient and, because of that, I’m a better writer than I was 30 days ago.
Kim Writing life