Happy New Year! (Yes, I Know It's February.)

Having recently climbed out of the work hole I was in (oh, and to clarify — it was a happy hole), I've decided to officially embrace 2011. I think it's going to be a good year!

I'm approaching it with an everything-old-is-new attitude. Which means: I'm restructuring my time to revert to a work/life plan I put into place (but that, ultimately, fell apart for reasons I feel just fine about) a few short years ago. Which means: In my freelancing life, I plan to concentrate on sussing out more jobs that don't directly compete with ongoing projects in my straight-up authorial life.

Why? Well, I've found that — at least right now — I can't reliably tap in to my creative energy stores to regularly work on my pet WIPs when I'm so focused on writing book after book during my typical workaday days. (And, let's face it, nights too.) Both types of writing projects require all the same skills and energy. But the for-hire series writing I've been doing (and loving! please don't get me wrong or stop offering me the work!) requires a fast pace and total attention that truly make my other writings fall off the list for, sometimes, months at a time. (If not years. As long as we're facing things.)

And I am just not that into said scenario as 2011 begins.

I'm not even talking about summarily refusing write-for-hire book gigs. Ha. But I can pay more attention to the way my projects stack up. I can exert influence over the way this year's work schedule unfolds. SO. As I start looking for the next thing . . . and the next . . . I'll be searching for more projects that use my extensive editorial skills (seriously, editorial work uses a whole different part of the brain) — and some writing jobs for even slightly different audiences than direct-to-kid books.

Nothing I haven't done before. Which means: It's the new, old, new old me. Or some dang thing.

Wish me luck!