Saturday 31 December 2016

Did I Achieve My 2016 Writing Targets?



It's time to say goodbye to the old writing year and hello to a new one. 

In the first week of 2016, as tradition dictates, best writing chum Tracy Fells and I met up in our favourite teashop for teacakes. We weren't just eating teacakes though, we were setting our writing goals for the year. You can read the full post here.

So how did I do? 

Well, 2016 has been a strange year writing wise - a bit of a roller-coaster if I'm honest. My hope that this year would be 'the year of the novel' hasn't come to pass (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next year) but it's not all been doom and gloom. I've had many stories published in three different magazines and this year, four of them have been turned into audios as well which has been very exciting. 

But what of my targets? The results are below and you can see that they are a little mixed.

Goal: To find an agent to represent me.
Achieved? Yes! At the beginning of the year, I was thrilled to be offered representation by the Eve White Literary Agency. You can read how it came about here.

Goal: To have written 50,000 words of novel two by the end of August ready to submit to the RNA New Writers' Scheme.
Achieved? No. The writing of novel number two had to be put aside as I was working on substantial edits for novel one. This was the novel I eventually submitted to the scheme and I can't thank my reader enough for her incredibly helpful comments.

Goal: To publish at least one more story collection.
Achieved? Sadly no. I can't self-publish any more story collections while I am under contract.

Goal: To write at least two short stories a month.
Achieved? Absolutely. Most months I've managed to write at least three. They've been a life saver during the often roller-coaster ride of novel writing and editing.

... and that's it folks.

All that's left is for me to wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you all for supporting my blog in 2016.


26 comments:

  1. That's a great year Wendy - and sounds like 2017 will definitely bring more successes :) Happy New Year!

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    1. It was a mixed year, Sam, but am looking forward to 2017.

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  2. You've done so well - and it'll continue, each year building on those that have come before. Well done and happy New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too, Kath. Hope we manage to meet up again in 2017.

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  3. Long may you write your short stories. Will always read them and collect them for research for that specific mag.

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  4. You've done brilliantly, Wendy.

    I'm sure 2017 will prove to be an even more successful year. Happy New Year.

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    1. Who knows what 2017 will bring. Happy New Year to you too, Carol.

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  5. Even if one or two goals weren't quite managed (for good reasons) it seem a very impressive list to me. Good luck with 2017's goals. Especially the novel!

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    1. It's been a mixed bag, Lindsay but mostly good. Happy New Year!

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  6. Well done Wendy - you've achieved so much, and thank you for your continuing support in answering my email questions. Happy New Year!

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    1. You're very welcome, Kim. All the best with your writing for 2017.

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  7. An impressive list Wendy.
    Interesting what you say about the short stories being a life saver between the novel edits/rewrites.

    I feel the same with flash fiction, sometimes you just need a change don't you?

    Happy New Year Wendy

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    1. I think it's because short stories were my first love and what I've been successful at, Maria - so going back to them is like coming home.

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  8. You've achieved much more than many, Wendy! Wishing you great success with your novel this year.

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  9. Your list of achievements doesn't look too shabby at all, (as they say round these parts. It's good to stick to what we know best and then keep trying with the other things. Well done, and keep writing.

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Wishing you a great new year 😀

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  10. That sounds like a wonderful writing year, Wendy. Writing three short stories a month (many, many published) is an amazing achievement. Here's to even more power to your pen in 2017. : )

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  11. Wendy, I always love to read your stories and you seem to be in every magazine I read, so that to me is a wonderful year. You can only go from strength to strength. Good luck for 2017.

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    1. So glad you enjoy my stories Linda. Happy 2017!

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