2020 retrospective

Obviously, 2020 was a dumpster fire of monstrous fucking proportions. None of it was out of the blue (with the possible exception of the Galactic Federation who apparently want nothing to do with us so don't change the equation anyway), just the logical---if sometimes cartoonish---extension of existing institutions, systems, beliefs, and actors. That is why, though I am trying to see January 1 (and, in the US, the 20th) as an encouraging fresh start, I have a difficult time fully embracing an optimistic outlook.

Instead, I'm looking at my year writing-wise, and I'm reasonably pleased.

• Made my first pro sale
• Made two more pro sales, proving it wasn't just a fluke
• Saw my first story* published
• Joined Codex
• Joined SFWA
• Wrote words, many of which were part of discrete, finished stories
• Had a story solicited (but, sadly, not published)
• Sent a query out for a thing that could be a lot of fun
• Received fan mail
• Had stories reviewed
• Thrilled by a number of TOC buddies

Short story status:

• Rejections: 88
• Currently out: 14
• Acceptances: 6
• Accepted but mag folded before publication: 2
• Published: 7

(Dammit, I just noticed the 88 and 14. Nazis are, apparently, even invading my submission spreadsheet. Well, add a novel rejection and the query thing, and then you get 89 and 15.)

Next year's writing goals:

• A novel
• A novella
• Finish the story I'm working on right now
• Maybe finish a couple that I set aside
• Maybe tear out the last third of the novel and fix it
• Write a few new short stories
• Do the project that's at the query stage if it moves beyond that; cry if it doesn't

The bullet points are super vague, but I have some solidish ideas about them. (Admittedly, I'm hazy on what might end up as a novel versus a novella---I don't have the trick of reliably gauging length---but I at least have a general idea about one long project to start.) So we'll see where that goes. Here's hoping the writing in 2021 goes well, and that the year is less of a dumpster fire than this one.


* First story under this name.