So, peeps, how did 2011 go for you? Did it meet expectations, exceed them? Or did it not quite work out the way you hoped it would? Bare all (but not too much all, if y'know what i mean).
#
For me, 2011 definitely exceeded expectations. In fact, it's been a helter-skelter year from start to finish.
I signed up for W1S1 hoping to recapture the enthusiasm for writing that i'd lost in the year/eighteen months previous. And i have. Yes, there have been months when i've fallen off the wagon, but i've been determined not to let those setbacks get me down.
2011 has seen me sell more stories than any previous year (8). It's seen more stories of mine get published than any year previous (6). It's even seen me start a zine, which has been a rewarding, educational and time-consuming experience.
Has my writing improved as a result of the W1S1 challenge? I think so. In past years, my sale to rejection ratio sat around 1:24, or 4%, that is: 4 sales out of every 100 submissions. Not terrible, considering my submission strategy (top down), but at times disheartening. So far this year my sale to rejection ratio has been 1:6.75, or 13%, that is: 13 sales out of 100 submissions.
Of the 12 stories i've written this year, 4 have already sold, and i've only put one aside as either needing significant reworking or chucking in the bin. That's good progress too, i think.
Between the middle of June and the end of October, i didn't write too much. Busy with the new zine. But i found myself getting crotchety. I needed to write. So in November i jumped back on the W1S1 wagon to enjoy the ride until the end of the year, and into next.
There have still been days this year when i've been sure my writing is complete trash that should never be seen by anyone. But those days have been a lot fewer and farther in between. Not that i think i'm getting overconfident. Just more comfortable with where i am in my writing life. I think that comfort has helped me to improve my writing more quickly than before, too.
Of course, next year i might sell nothing. But hey, as long as i've got perspective and am writing because i enjoy it, then that won't get me down too much.
I've got just over 2 days left before 2 1/2 weeks of vacation. The first few days will be spent madly assembling all the pieces of issue #2 of Comets and Criminals. Then, from Jan 2 to Jan 10, i'll have 9 solid days of writing. I can't wait!
#
For me, 2011 definitely exceeded expectations. In fact, it's been a helter-skelter year from start to finish.
I signed up for W1S1 hoping to recapture the enthusiasm for writing that i'd lost in the year/eighteen months previous. And i have. Yes, there have been months when i've fallen off the wagon, but i've been determined not to let those setbacks get me down.
2011 has seen me sell more stories than any previous year (8). It's seen more stories of mine get published than any year previous (6). It's even seen me start a zine, which has been a rewarding, educational and time-consuming experience.
Has my writing improved as a result of the W1S1 challenge? I think so. In past years, my sale to rejection ratio sat around 1:24, or 4%, that is: 4 sales out of every 100 submissions. Not terrible, considering my submission strategy (top down), but at times disheartening. So far this year my sale to rejection ratio has been 1:6.75, or 13%, that is: 13 sales out of 100 submissions.
Of the 12 stories i've written this year, 4 have already sold, and i've only put one aside as either needing significant reworking or chucking in the bin. That's good progress too, i think.
Between the middle of June and the end of October, i didn't write too much. Busy with the new zine. But i found myself getting crotchety. I needed to write. So in November i jumped back on the W1S1 wagon to enjoy the ride until the end of the year, and into next.
There have still been days this year when i've been sure my writing is complete trash that should never be seen by anyone. But those days have been a lot fewer and farther in between. Not that i think i'm getting overconfident. Just more comfortable with where i am in my writing life. I think that comfort has helped me to improve my writing more quickly than before, too.
Of course, next year i might sell nothing. But hey, as long as i've got perspective and am writing because i enjoy it, then that won't get me down too much.
I've got just over 2 days left before 2 1/2 weeks of vacation. The first few days will be spent madly assembling all the pieces of issue #2 of Comets and Criminals. Then, from Jan 2 to Jan 10, i'll have 9 solid days of writing. I can't wait!
