One year and one week ago I decided that I would write a novel.  Exactly one year ago today I TOLD THE WHOLE WORLD by starting a blog about it.  Let me tell you, I was really nervous about it.  I knew nothing about blogging or noveling.  BUT I did it anyway because I wanted to start writing on a regular basis.  Even if it wasn’t literary or fiction, at least it wasn’t legal writing.  Hence, the blog’s name Illegal Writing. 🙂

In honor of my blogiversary I decided to update my blog design (you like?).  I also created a Facebook Page (scroll to the bottom of this post and “Like”!)  I would like to thank anyone who has ever read a post on this site.  A special thanks to anyone who has ever commented or liked a post, asked me how my novel is going, or referred to one of my blog posts in a conversation.

Below is a list of what I have accomplished since May 9, 2012:

• Wrote 4 short stories
• Completed 2 creative writing classes at the Writer’s Center and, more importantly, established a creative writing network
• Adopted cutie cat Jack from a member of my former writers group
• Met Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin and Terry McMillan!
• Tweeted with authors JW, Terry and Catherine McKenzie!
• Designed a novel using Snowflake Pro
• Wrote 45,000 words of my future novel (45,000 to go!)
• Published 54 blog posts
• Generated 6,281 views

And here are my 10 personal blog faves from Year 1:

1. Bethenny Frankel Did It, So Why Can’t I?
2. A Writer Writes: Jennifer Weiner Wisdom
3. Olympian Samyr Laine and the 5 Steps to Turning a Dream Into Reality
4. My Evening with “Waiting to Exhale” Author Terry McMillan
5. Inspiration: Shonda Rhimes and the Depiction of a Diverse World
6. An Author Shut Down My Senior Thesis (Thankfully, No One Cares)
7. Love is a Drug
8. How to Get It Done: 10 Tips From A Lawyer to an Aspiring Writer
9. 10 things I Know About Creative Writing that I Didn’t Know 6 Weeks Ago
10. Snowflake Pro Review and the Grand Reveal of My Novel Plot

Thanks again everyone and don’t forget to “Like”!! 😀