Tag: writing tips

First Draft vs. Revision: One Plotter’s Preference

Writing a novel is a process of many individual steps, but all those steps generally fall under two very broad stages: drafting and revising. Just about every author I know prefers one or the other, and I thought I’d share a little about my… Continue Reading “First Draft vs. Revision: One Plotter’s Preference”

Withdrawing a Withdrawal: A Submission Saga

I often encounter a general sense among authors that magazine editors are waiting to pounce on them if they make a mistake or need to ask for an appropriate allowance in the submission process. The belief is that an error or request will result… Continue Reading “Withdrawing a Withdrawal: A Submission Saga”

Submission Statement: January 2021

The first month of the new year is in the books. Here are all my submissions, rejections, and other writerly doings for January 2021 January 2021 Report Card Submissions Sent: 11 Rejections: 7 Acceptances: 0 Publications: 1 Further Consideration: 0 January was a good… Continue Reading “Submission Statement: January 2021”

A Week of Writing: 1/18/21 to 1/24/21

Another week of writing come and gone. Have a look. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from author Jane Yolen. “Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 1/18/21 to 1/24/21”

A Week of Writing: 1/11/21 to 1/17/21

Another week of writing in the books. Have a look. Words to Write By This week, we’re going back a couple hundred years for a great quote from Jane Austen. “I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 1/11/21 to 1/17/21”

The Complete Picture: Nine Years of Submissions

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows how much I love stats. From rejections numbers to acceptance percentages, I enjoy diving into the data to see how much I’ve progressed as a writer over the years. Now, normally, I… Continue Reading “The Complete Picture: Nine Years of Submissions”

Weeks of Writing: 1/1/21 to 1/10/21

Here’s my writing report card for the first week and change of the new year. Let’s take a look. Words to Write By I really like this quote from novelist and playwright William Somerset Maugham, “There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately,… Continue Reading “Weeks of Writing: 1/1/21 to 1/10/21”

2020 Writing Review Part 4: The Novels

I thought I was done with my writing review posts, but I spoke too soon. I, uh, remembered that the bulk of my writing time in 2020 had not been spent on short stories and their submissions, but on a pair of novels. So,… Continue Reading “2020 Writing Review Part 4: The Novels”

2020 Writing Review Part 3: Acceptances & Publications

Today we’re getting to the good stuff, and in the third and final part of my 2020 writing review, I’ll cover the acceptances and publications I received last year. Let’s get to it with some basic numbers. Submissions: 87 Rejection: 68* Acceptances: 19* Acceptance… Continue Reading “2020 Writing Review Part 3: Acceptances & Publications”

2020 Writing Review Part 2: Rejections

This is part two of my year-end writing review. You can find part one here. Today, I’m going to be looking at all the rejections I received last year and try to live up to the name of this blog. 🙂 Let’s get to… Continue Reading “2020 Writing Review Part 2: Rejections”