In between writing my last post and this I have made a spaghetti bolognese and had a think. While reflecting on my writing year I suddenly realised that it was the first time that I could ever say I'd had a writing year. Last year was amazing for me writing-wise. For the first time since school I not only started but finished a story, and then another, and then another. I won my first writing competition and had my first pieces accepted for publication. I discovered the joys of micro-fiction and started this blog. So for what they are worth - which to me is a hell of a lot - here are my stats:
Stories written: 7
Microfiction (300-500 words) written: 16
Competitions entered: 8
Competitions won: 2
Competitions placed but not won: 2
Pieces accepted for anthology publication: 3
Stories submitted to magazines (inc online): 2
Rejections from magazines(so far): 1
Novels started: 2
Residential writing weeks: 1
I want to concentrate on my novel this year, but thinking back over last year's writing made me realise how much I enjoy short story writing, so I'm hoping to keep that up too. With that in my mind I would like to heartily recommend Sally Quilford's Writing Competition's Calendar. I am going to remove my own 'competitions' section from below and replace it with a 'Blogs-I-Like' which will include Sally.
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6 comments:
Sarah your stats are GREAT! You entered eight competitions and won 2 of them and place in another two. According to my GCSE maths qualification that makes a 50% hit rate. That's brilliant!
If you up your sub rate this year you'll be laughing!
Sounds as if you really set the writerly foundations last year - 2008 will see you building up to the stars!
If I even do as well this year as you did last, I'll be very happy.
Tally ho!
Thanks guys, that's very encouraging. I think for most of this year I felt like a one-trick pony - I had one great story (which I won my first comp with) and felt less confident about the ones I wrote after that, even when they did OK in comps etc.
I think the more I write the more I will feel that I've got more than one good story in me.
I agree with Cally. That's a 50% hit rate, which is pretty darn good! Well done, Sarah. And thanks for the link to the comps calendar. The more people who use it the happier I am. It makes updating it worth the effort :-)
Fantastic stats, Sarah.
I've found Sally Quilford's site really useful and have added it to favourites.
Hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! It was great meeting you at Lumb Bank. See you in June, perhaps?
Filipa
SallyQ - no probs I will continue to spread the word
K-Kat - Great to hear from you, hope you had a good Christmas and New Year too. Glad you've found Sally's site useful too.
Musn't forget that June reunion - I will contact Liz in the next couple of weeks
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