Posted by Happy New Year Everyone! A warm welcome to the 18th year of the current century and indeed, of the millennium!
Each December I undertake a detailed review of the year gone by. You can read my past year-end summaries here, here and here.
The first quarter of the year whizzed past in adjusting myself to a regular workday routine after six months of maternity leave. Glancing through my records, I observe that I actually began writing and submitting around April.
I finally took the advice of this article and started sending out my stories to multiple venues at a time, and I’ve hit 100 rejections for the year!
I also have 8 acceptances to show for my efforts.
The growth I see this year is in my writing which I believe has improved. The evidence is visible in the form of a few personal/higher-tier rejections I received from some of the most reputed literary journals. It may sound strange to brag about rejections but anyone who writes and submits will know exactly what I am talking about.
On the other end of the spectrum lies my disappointment at not placing in the contests I entered though I believed the stories were of good quality.
I had hoped to close the year on a win, but by the onset of the festive season, that hope blurred and eventually died down. I imagine all the editors shut down their laptops and headed out for the ragged mountains or sandy beaches, or simply snugged close to the loved ones while tearing the wrapping off their Christmas presents under the light of the tree.
I’d have shared more detailed stats for the year but I’m not really sure they are that useful. The main thing to note is that submitting your writing amounts to a numbers game. The more you submit, the higher the chances of acceptance.
I will continue to plod my way through 2018, trudging through my archives digging out stories to be revised and submitted, and hoping for the best. I remain, as always, incurably optimistic.
What are your resolutions for the new year?
Gargi's World 
I didn’t do any New Year’s resolutions for this year, because that never seems to work for me. Instead I wrote three short personal essays about what I want to do with my reading, my writing, and my blog. I feel a lot more focused now, although it remains to be seen if this works for me long term.
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That’s an excellent idea! I don’t do resolutions either but I do maintain a To-do List. Feels quite satisfying to tick off items as I go through the year. Also I should mention – I’m a regular reader of your fantastic blog! I will surely stop by more often and comment.
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Oh cool! Thanks, I’m glad you like what I do! Yeah, I’m big on writing to-do lists as well, but it’s usually something I do to plan out my week. I’ve never tried to do one for the year.
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My new year resolution is to focus on my blog and improve my writing and marketing skills
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Great stuff, Disa! Make a plan and stick to it!
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