The Ten . . .

~ Jenny

It’s New Year’s Eve. Time to do the Ten Best Books List or the Ten Best Movies List or . . . except I don’t think I had the chance to read ten books this year and I know I didn’t see ten movies. It was, as usual, an insane year, so I and everybody I love and work with have resolved to be calm and steady in 2008, For writers, that a big deal. In keeping with that thought, here’s my ten worst and best of 2007. Listing the ten worst didn’t do a thing for me except depress me, but the ten best was just lovely, so I’m focusing on that in the future. If I were you, I’d do that, too.

Ten Lousy Things about 2007:
(in no particular order)
I still didn’t finish You Again.
Bernie died. A fine, fine dog and a credit to his species. And I wasn’t even here.
My knees went wonky on me.
I didn’t lose thirty pounds. I didn’t lose three pounds, either.
Joss Whedon isn’t going to do Wonder Woman.
I lost my agent.
I cleaned my office and two weeks later it was a pit again.
Everything my government did.
Uhhh . . . okay eight lousy things. After that, I got nothin’.

Ten Good Things About 2007

(Note: Do not expect these to be deep. I don’t do deep.)
(Again, no particular order.)

The Agnes and the Hitman Cover

Pushing Daisies

Collaborating with Lani and Krissie on Dogs and Goddessess

Veronica and Milton

Scrivener and Curio

Amy and Jodi (my new agents)

Music and Lyrics (movie and soundtrack)

Cherry Con

The new They Might Be Giants album, especially “The Mesopotamians.”

My beach skirt

Books. All of them.

Chocolate from England.

Actually, I have so many good things. I’m sitting here looking at the river with four happy dogs on my bed (the cat is in the bathroom because the floor is heated in there and she’s wallowing), I’m almost finished with the first full draft of a great collab book, and I’ve got three great books to work on after that. The sun is shining FOR ONCE, and I have a meeting and then I’m going to the fancy grocery store which means lunch will be really fun (the deli is Satan’s playground). And then I’m coming home to write while puppies chew my shoes, thereby alleviating that nasty I-have-too-many-shoes-for-my-closet problem. And Milton, while refusing paper training, is now bubble-wrap trained. Milton takes his own path, which is as good a plan as any for the new year.

Happy New Year! May your path for 2008 be new, may your ten worst list come up short, and may your ten best list spilleth over into the triple digits. Nothing but good times ahead.

32 thoughts on “The Ten . . .”

  1. This is why I love this blog — you say it all so well, Jenny!

    (I’ll go think about my 10 Best now …)

  3. Bubble wrap trained!? I love it. And I love that your best things list is way longer than the worst. You’re on my best list — Agnes, the writers workshop, the Dogs and Goddesses site. Wonderful reading, great help on the writing. Happy New Year!

  5. Happy New Year, Jenny. May 2008 be the best year ever for you and yours.

    And may all the books you are working on get finished and published soon so that we can enjoy them.

  6. Happy New Year Jenny!
    Having a new book by you – is always on top of my list of exciting things happening in the new year! ;-)Seriously! I am not a suck -up, just an anxious reader!
    I try not to count the poopy stuff – cause that is usually over the ten limit.

    Happy New Year to all the Cherries and book lovers everywhere!

  7. Ten Cherry things that made me happy in 2007:

    -Reading Agnes & The Hitman and The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
    -He Wrote, She Wrote: How to Write blog
    -Looking at pictures on the Cherry forum of Cherry Con (you all seemed to be having such fun)
    -Deconstructing a novel on Cherry forums with Rox
    -Cherry bag, tea set, and books
    -The Glittery Hoo-ha
    -Various Bob tales (“Somewhere in that town is a woman who will do those things. But she smokes.”)
    -Toy ponies and Australian shoes
    -Cherry Forums
    -All the other great writers I am discovering through…The Cherry Connection

    Happy New Year!

  9. Joss Whedon isn’t doing Wonder Woman?!? Well, that sucks.
    On the plus side, he did sign a deal to create/write/exec. produce a new series for Eliza Dushku. Of course, the deal’s with Fox, so it’ll probably get cancelled after 3-5 episodes…

    Glad your “best” list outweighed the “worst.” Happy New Year!

  10. Here’s a few of my best of 2007:
    -Dayton CherryBomb onslaught
    -Taglines, taglines, taglines
    -Finding Getting Rid of Bradley in hardcover in the bookstore yesterday
    -New Jersey Romance Writers’ Conference
    -All the great new friends I’ve met

    Here’s to a fabulous 2008! Thanks for the fun ride.

  15. I’m still chuckling at “the Glittery Hoo-Ha”.

    You’ll have to invite Amy and Jodi to make a few comments, so that we will know them too.

    Every one have a happy New Year.

    May it give you all your wishes.

  16. Have a wonderful 2008, Jenny. And thanks for everything you do here–I discovered Argh Ink, The Cherry Forums and He Wrote, She Wrote in early November and it’s been Christmas ever since. Jumping-for-joy time. Just today I bought 4 giant white boards and am going to use them to discover where the novel in my novel is. The AMAZING AND TOTALLY MIRACULOUS part is that I know it’s in there somewhere & I know I’ll find it, which is almost entirely thanks to you. So thanks for sharing. Thanks to all of you for sharing. And have a glittering rhapsodical smoldering and magical (many good ghosts) new year!

  17. Jenny, meeting you at the PCA–AND talking about your books with you right there!–was a high point of the year for me. I’ll be giving a paper on romance and learned optimism at this year’s conference, with you again in a starring role. Thanks for giving me such wonderful books to work with, as well as simply to enjoy.

    Happy New Year to you, and to all the Cherries!

  18. Bubble wrap trained?!?!?!? I would try that, but I think the bubbles popping would totally freak out my little shelter puppy. She piddles next to the paper, doesn’t that count? Sadie Grace is definitely a beta puppy, but she is so sweet in her shyness. And, she doesn’t chew shoes…I gotta love her!

  19. Highlights 2007 for me was:

    – your workshop at the RWA Australia conference. Thanks Jenny!
    – the whole conference was a blast and I have made a lot of great friends online since.
    – winning 2nd prize in a short story comp and then building a fan base at work with that story
    – my fabulous friends in my writers’ group

    Well, look at that it’s all about writing!

    And I’m not going to think about anything lousy because 2007 was much better than 2006, and 2008 will be even better.

    May you have a fabulous 2008, Jenny!

  21. My top ten:
    * Finally making peace with this is love of writing and facing that I do find any other “jobs” mundane.
    * The Cherry Forums/Argh Ink
    * The Writing Workshop
    * Collaging
    * Conflict Box
    * The One Sentence Idea
    * Some really great books on Word 2007 finally! (sorry I do like it)
    * Discovering my lust for a 14in. MacPro, Curio and such, okay I admit it..(I guess I’m bipolar- Mac/PC)
    * All the great insights, books, web leads and wisdom from the Cherries.
    * My new Uggs to keep my tooties warm while at the laptop while trying to learn everything here..

    #11 Thanks for the laughs from past blogs..

    Happy New Year, may everyone be prolific..

  24. The Krogers in Andersonville on Beechmont.
    They just put in a pastry bar. And several other excellent things. It’s a great grocery.

  25. One of 07’s highlights for me was meeting you and Krissie when you came to Australia. People are still talking about how fab you both were.
    I concur.
    Happy New Year to all the Cherries and CB’s.
    I’ll see some of you in SF. Yay!!

  26. It’s been a pleasure reading this site, Jenny, and the He Wrote/She Wrote site where you have written words of wisdom in all manner of things. Some of my favourites include the bits on your dogs, and the photographs. Charming companions of a brilliant woman. You provide inspiration for many writers, whether published or soon-to-be or hopeful. You tell us how it is to write, how to write with others and, most importantly, how to share.

  27. Vegas
    survived motorcycle accident
    1959 Motropolitan
    2007 Cherry Red Harley Ultra Trike
    Rt 66 Chicago to LA on DH’s bike
    Dallas/RWA Literacy signing/Cherries
    Branson/2 grandkids
    1 miracle (breast CA fixed with 1 tiny pill)
    Cherry Con !
    New hospital

  28. 2007 was a pretty good year and 2008 has excitement already. (Son #2 gets married in August)
    My grandson MAX! was born!
    Meeting CB’s in Dayton
    Going with CB’s to meet Jenny and Bob in Dayton.
    Agnes and the Hitman
    The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
    The Glittery Hoo-Ha and Argh Ink in general.
    Loved meeting the new animals and new pictures of Wolfie and Annie
    The CB Bar and Grill Blog
    Looking forward to 2008 and more treasures from Jenny Crusie and her fantastic friends. And Bob, too!

  29. The pastry bar would have made the top ten for me, but I haven’t lost my thirty pounds, either.

    And 10a of the best should be inner peach. That or the bluebird house in your soul. Absolute philosophies to live by.

    Happy new year to all!

  30. Joss and Wonder Woman would have been on my list too. A match made in heaven. If it had happened.

  31. Adding my thanks for what you’ve done in the past and my wishes for a wonderful new year.

    Joss Whedon/Wonder Woman. Can’t help wondering if there isn’t a great FEMALE hyphenate out there who could really put some woman into the wonder. Just saying.

    Happy New Year, Jenny & all.

  32. Happy New Year to you, too! Glad you were able to come up with so many more good things about 2007 than bad. I hope the same for you for the coming year.

Comments are closed.