2021 Writing Retrospective
Dec. 31st, 2021 03:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aphowellI have fewer firsts this year, but I am still pleased on the writing front. (Let's just not talk about the rest of 2021, which certainly had some personal good points but was also, general speaking, a trashfire.)
Crows:
That first bullet point is very seriously cool. "5:37" in Translunar Travelers Lounge netted that particular honor. The second bullet point is arbitrary, but pro rates are sometimes a proxy for quality/competition, etc., etc. The third is cool (as it was last year) because it means people who Do This think that I Did This well. (The Reading List, for non-SFWAns, is not a longlist or anything formal, more of a shout-out.) I'm lucky that I haven't had bad editing experiences, but there were a couple this year that really emphasized how a good editor makes a story stronger. I'm pleased about the podcasts, because even though audio isn't my consumption-method-of-choice, it's a nice option that expands accessibility and artistic options. The work-for-hire was a pitched short story for a shared world project and fun to write.
Short story status:
How did I do on goals? Well, I have produced neither a novel or novella. I did get some words on a piece that will turn into one of those things: NaNoWriMo gave me a push to almost figure out one of the POV characters (I'm planning three POVs) and I'd done a bit of work before then. So, you know, progress. I did write some new short pieces. I didn't do edits on the novel that needs it. One project remains in limbo; we'll see if it moves forward, but in pandemic times I'm not clamoring for quick turn-arounds and (fortunately) neither is the person on the other end.
Next year's writing goals:
Crows:
- Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow's The Best Horror of the Year Volume 13
- Continued to march toward the Full SFWA membership (10K words at pro rates)
- Stories on the Nebula Reading List
- Some really good experiences being edited
- Stories podcasted
- Did a work-for-hire thing
That first bullet point is very seriously cool. "5:37" in Translunar Travelers Lounge netted that particular honor. The second bullet point is arbitrary, but pro rates are sometimes a proxy for quality/competition, etc., etc. The third is cool (as it was last year) because it means people who Do This think that I Did This well. (The Reading List, for non-SFWAns, is not a longlist or anything formal, more of a shout-out.) I'm lucky that I haven't had bad editing experiences, but there were a couple this year that really emphasized how a good editor makes a story stronger. I'm pleased about the podcasts, because even though audio isn't my consumption-method-of-choice, it's a nice option that expands accessibility and artistic options. The work-for-hire was a pitched short story for a shared world project and fun to write.
Short story status:
- Rejections: 128
- On Sub: 8
- Acceptances: 9
- Publications: 7
- Reprints: 5 (2 in a new format, 3 as magazine compilations)
How did I do on goals? Well, I have produced neither a novel or novella. I did get some words on a piece that will turn into one of those things: NaNoWriMo gave me a push to almost figure out one of the POV characters (I'm planning three POVs) and I'd done a bit of work before then. So, you know, progress. I did write some new short pieces. I didn't do edits on the novel that needs it. One project remains in limbo; we'll see if it moves forward, but in pandemic times I'm not clamoring for quick turn-arounds and (fortunately) neither is the person on the other end.
Next year's writing goals:
- Let's put the novel back on here!
- How about some shorter stuff around the novel that needs major surgery!
- Maybe re-up the query stage thing?
- Short stuff as the spirit moves me.
- A bit of volunteer work, perhaps? (Not strictly "writing," but "stuff on Firefox, not Chrome," which is how I divide APH/Real Life.)
