The last month of the year

Hello my beloved December.  While you are a fickle friend--one minute I can't get enough of the falling snow, the colored lights, the hustle and bustle to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," but the next I'm in a hot toddy-induced stupor lamenting this godforsaken season and all its maniacal traditions when really we're just supposed to be celebrating THE LORD--I am nonetheless always glad to see you.

And while I will be spending considerable time doing all the things one does in this lovely little month--checking people off my list, experimenting with baked goods, and traveling to be with loved ones whenever possible--I'm also going to kick things up a little this month in terms of my writing goals.  I know it might make more sense to wait until January, but I hate the whole notion of "New Years resolutions" because they just make me dread the new year instead of see its possibilities.  If I just jump right in and start now, then it feels less like a major life change (something I don't cope well with) and more like making a few minor adjustments. 

So here are my plans:

I want to be able to send something out to be published by February 1st. Whether or not it gets published is out of my control, but it's got to be something that I believe is publishable.  I can't just send out crap and say I met my goal of sending something out.

In the spirit of the season, I've got to write one Christmas story.  Since I love Christmas so much and tend to get distracted by it, this will allow me to integrate it into my work duties and have a little fun.  I'll have it done by December 24th and post it here for all of you.

And now the big one...

Reapply to an MFA program.  I have one in mind that I haven't been able to get out of my head since I first applied four years ago, so I'm going to give it one more shot (for those of you who've missed the great drama of years past, I have been rejected from a total of 8 MFA writing programs).  My materials are due by March and I'm going to start thinking of my writing in terms of whether or not it can turn into 25 pages that I can submit by then.  That is to say, I'm going to be working on writing longer things and sticking with things that I think have potential, as opposed to what I've kind of been doing these last months, which is starting and stopping a lot and with little to show for it in terms of finished, polished work.

At first I felt strange about sharing my MFA hopes with all of you because I always worry I'll jinx things, and after being rejected so many times I know that getting in is considerably less than a sure thing.  But I'm going to try my darnedest and if I fail anyway, that'll just be something else to share with all of you when it happens. 

And I'm off...