2024 Writing Stats

As part of my review of 2024, which is mostly a personal thing, I took a look at some *writing stats for 2024 (a big improvement over 2023).

In terms of writing new stories and working on current ones, there wasn't a huge difference, but I had decided last year to be more proactive with my writing and be brave by actually sending out more stories and risking more rejections. After all, if I send out more stories, instead of waiting for conditions to be perfect and instead of letting self-doubt rule, I have a better chance of having more accepted. Zero stories out = zero chances at acceptances, or in the words of Wayne Gretzky, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." It makes sense, but sometimes it can be hard to follow through.

So, here are my 2024 stats, along with the previous years (not all the years, just the last six) for comparison.

2024: I sent out 25 stories. I withdrew one, sold four, and am waiting to hear back on three others.

2023: I sent out one story, which was rejected.

2022: I sent out nine stories and sold one.

2021: I sent out six stories and sold zero.

2020: I sent out nine stories and sold one.

2019: I sent out one and sold one.

Hopefully, the number of stories sold this year will be greater than last, and maybe I'll be able to sell some to paying markets as well. That would be extremely helpful to me financially, but even if I don't, I won't stop writing. Whether I'm writing stories, letters, typing up a blog post, scribbling ideas on scraps of paper, making lists, or jotting thoughts in a journal, I am always putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. It's been a constant since I was a child. I can't not write. Even if no one reads or enjoys what I write (and I hope that someone will), even if I'm the only one to read my words (as is often the case - writing only for myself), I won't stop. Writing can be difficult. It can feel like I'm just spitting out random letters and rooting around in them to form what I hope are sensical words. It can often resemble a bizarre word salad, but writing is a part of me. Writing = joy.

That said, fingers crossed 2025 shows even more progress. =)

*Writing, for the purpose of this post, refers to writing stories and submitting them in hopes of publication.

Cat Gerlach's Indie Authors Advent Calendar 2024

2024 is the 10th anniversary of author Katharina Gerlach's Indie Authors Advent Calendar. If you're unfamiliar with the online advent calendar, it's a collection of flash fiction from indie authors shared on her website's calendar each day in December, which is next month! (How did December come so quickly? *sigh*) If you sign up for the advent calendar emails, you'll also receive bonus stories along with other bonus items like recipes and pictures. 

Three of my stories* were accepted for this year's calendar (yay!) and will appear in the bonus emails, so if you'd like to read them be sure to sign up for the email notifications. The emails go out to advent calendar subscribers during December only. It's not necessary to sign up for the emails, of course. You can simply visit the calendar each day to read a new story, but you miss out on the bonus material. This will also the last year Cat will be hosting the calendar so be sure to sign up if you'd like to be reminded to visit the site and read the stories. Once December has ended, the calendar is closed. The stories are not archived. 

Indie Authors Advent Calendar

Sign up for Advent Calendar Emails

*One of my stories in this year's advent calendar, "A Familiar Kind of Magic," first appeared on author Holly Lisle's Alone in a Room with Invisible People (AIARWIP) Halloween episode 2. The other two are brand new. I actually discovered Cat Gerlach through the forums on Holly Lisle's website. Holly, who passed away in August of this year, was not only an author of over 30 books and short stories but also a mentor to many writers and a wonderful teacher. She’ll be missed by her fans, her students, her friends, and her family.