2012 in Review

2012 has been a fascinating year in my life and in my writing career.  It marks the first full year that I have lived away from home.  That, mixed with the party atmosphere of my new house, led to plenty of inspiration and plenty of changes.  The year comprised of many events.  In the middle of summer, I suffered a severe panic attack that made me re-evaluate how I was living my life.  As a result, my writing changed drastically.  The year also saw two romances.  The one, early on in the year, had little to no effect on my writing (expect the horrifying break-up forced me out of the house and into the coffee shop much more often).  The latter romance changed my writing, my outlook, and my life for good.  Much of my writing in 2013 will be a result of the beautiful Sofia.

My main piece of work in 2012 was a novel.  It was the fastest I have ever written.  Although I never thought I would consider this a good thing, it was.  It gave the novel a sense of consistency that my previous three just never had.  I wrote it from 8 April through 19 May.

The Stagner Chronicle: An Oral History of America’s Second Revolution

Aside from writing the novel, I did very little creative writing.  Here are the Short Stories and Flash Fiction pieces from 2012:

The Booklet
Thirst
I Miss You, Dad
Dear Blue

This year also included a rebirth of my poetic side.  Along with a close friend, I went to a few Poetry Critiques in Fort Collins.  These meetings made me want to build better, and sometimes more complex poems.  Best of all, the romantic edge that flooded my teenage poems disappeared.  In it’s place was something much better.  Here are the poem from 2012:

Cassidy
Young Darling
These Days We Wait
Freckle
Changing Perspectives
The Wailing Wall
Questions Deep in a Cavern
At the Base of the Waterfall
The Coffee House

I even started writing Haikus:

Haiku #1
Post about Haikus

I also spent a good deal of time on non-fiction writing for the first time since I graduated from college.  The writing spanned from the sense of home to finding a new love.  Here are the ones I was able to post:

on Home
My Affliction
Snow in the Forecast
When Politics Gets Personal
Struggle & Love
Free Pussy Riot
Indian Power Outage
Please Take My Guns
The Assembly Line
Goals for a 20-Something
Jaccob: Year Six
Her
Community Demands
An Open Letter to my Elected Officials Regarding the Shootings in Newtown, Connecticut
All I want for Christmas is Gun Control

This non fiction writing included a series of pieces I wrote very early on in the year–detailing how I believe the world works and how it should work:

Our False Democracy
Cultural Impact on Revolution
Capitalism, Communism, and the Third Way
Why Modern Revolutions Fail
Minimalist Lifestyle is Step One in Fighting Class Inequality
Follow the Money to Understand the Power Structure of Our World

Living in Colorado gave me a close encounter with the world of guns in 2012.  When The Dark Knight Rises opened at midnight, a man dressed as the Joker shot dozens of people.  I wrote about this event a lot.

Please Take My Guns
Reaction to the Shooting
Aurora Memorial Service
Westboro Baptist Church

I also started a goal to recall memories.  Memory recall has never been something I am very good at.  By forcing myself, I am improving my memory while improving my writing skills.