Hello everyone. 2021 is finally coming to an end, and I felt it was time to do an obligatory year in review. Being as I'm trying to be a published author and writer, I'm going to write about my personal experiences writing and querying this past year.
One of the hardest things I had to deal with this year was time. I never seemed to have time to sit and work on my writing. There were many missed opportunities because of this. I had set a lofty goal, at the beginning of the year to write more short stories, submit to more magazines, and query over 100 agents. Unfortunately that did not happen...
I was doing pretty good at the beginning of the year, but then in June I was offered an amazing new job opportunity. Unfortunately I went from working at home, to being back in an office. I used to work on my story ideas in between my work, when there was down time or breaks. I went from writing 1000 words a day to 100 words a day if I was lucky. This hit in productivity really affected me.
It made me feel sad, like, who am I kidding? Professional writer? Pfft.
Part of that was due to Twitter. Watching all these amazing writers that began querying around the same time as me, were finding all these great agents, while writing multiple stories within the year too, while also managing full time jobs, AND families. I could barely handle working full time.
It just added to my depression, and self loathing. So I stopped. I disconnected from Twitter for about a month, and put away all my writing projects. I gave up. Maybe I'm not meant to be a writer?
Disconnecting didn't help, though. Like I said, I was only away for a month. I learned of a new anthology, full of retellings of classic monster horror stories. One of the options for submission was The Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. I felt it was fate. As a BIG Wizard of Oz fan, I opened my laptop, and felt fueled to write again.
I wrote my story in a few days, and sent it off to betas who all loved my black mirror inspired take. I worked, and reworked as much as I could in the little time that I had to submit. I found my fire again, in that green witch.
While I was waiting to hear if I was selected, I felt fueled to work on other projects. I began working on a new story, in a completely different genre and age group, while also looking at my previous work, and re-evaluating it.
Alas, my wicked witch was not wicked enough to be selected as part of the anthology, but it fueled me to start working again.
(I am still looking for a home for my Wicked Witch re-telling. As the story that helped me find my writing again, it holds a special place in my heart.)
I had to come to terms. Despite EVERYONE stating how hard it is to be a writer, I had to really see first hand how hard it was. How badly did I really want this? The beatings of form rejections are hard. No one likes to be rejected. Especially when it's something you put your heart and soul into, and you can't even get a small response back with your rejection of what didn't work.
Even with the big hits to my depression each rejection has given me, I decided to keep trying because despite all the rejections on the professional level, there have been many other's that have read and enjoyed my stories, giving me hope. I know I'm not a bad story teller, despite what my brain tries to tell me with every rejection.
The whole year wasn't a cesspool of depression and self loathing though. I finally got my first full request. It was exciting! (And also disappointing when it ended in a form rejection, oh well.) But it helped cement that I wanted to keep doing this.
Other highlights are that I met some really amazing people this last year that have really helped my writing. I look back at some of the things I wrote a year ago, and what I am writing now. I can see that I have grown.
And Hey! I started this website and blog! That was a big milestone for me too! I had been wanting to start a blog for ages. This past year I finally took the leap. (Even if I know that my readership is very small).
Now it's time I set my goals for next year.
Top of my list is getting published. That will be in anything. Whether it's finally getting an agent for my Chuck meets Supernatural Urban Fantasy Romance novel, or one of the many short stories that I have written. Heck, at this point I am even willing to look at self publishing as an option, as the professional publishing world continues to shift to an almost unobtainable goal.
I want to get my stories out there. I want people to be able to read and enjoy the characters I have written as much as I do, outside of my small social circles.
I want to finish writing my Space Opera! I honestly feel it's one of the best things I have ever written, and I want to share it with everyone!
I have to set goals of better time management for my writing, as well as being easier on myself if I don't meet every self-made expectation.
The bottom line fellow writers, is we all have to be easier on ourselves. The world is still crazy. Just gotta take everything one day at a time.
If you stuck around for this loooong self loathing rant, I really do appreciate it. Thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year.