Year in Review 2023

How do you measure a year in the life of a writer?

I don’t have a book out yet. So I’m not tallying paperback sales, Goodreads reviews, or readers who reached 100% on their Kindle editions.

I do have some numbers to look at. In 2023, I had 2 poems and 8 short stories published, finished 1 novel (my first ever!), and wrote 11 new stories and poems. I submitted my stories and poems 204 times and received 146 rejections. Those numbers represent a lot of work, dedication, and time spent.

But I feel like those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Maybe I should play my Rent soundtrack, and borrow from “Seasons of Love,” and measure this year:
In edits,
In stories,
In typos,
In publications?
In poems,
In nights,
In drafting,
In strife…
How about love?

Yeah, how about love? That might be the true measure. After all, only a small percentage of writers make their entire living writing. For most of us, it’s a labor of love. I’ve felt a lot of love this year, both for the writing craft and for the communities I’ve found as part of it:

• I spent time with my beloved Lincolnwood Writes, the writers’ group at the Lincolnwood Public Library. This group has been going since before the pandemic and they are a terrific bunch. They were the first ones to read and give feedback on my novel’s first chapter, for which I’ll be forever grateful.
• I joined Threads in 2023 and connected with hundreds of writers, editors, artists, publishers, and agents. My feed is filled with talk about writing, publishing, drafting, rejections, and the myriad facets (both bright and dark) of the writing life. It’s delightful.
• This year, for the first time ever, I wrote a story for an anthology as an invited author. That was an honor, and I’m proud of the collection we put together.
• In 2023 I got myself 2 accountability buddies, fellow writers with whom I agreed to check in periodically about our works in progress. It was thanks to them that I finished my book. I was so motivated to have something to tell them during our weekly check-ins! They have been lovely and encouraging all along the way. After I write this post, my next move will be to send them notes to talk about projects for 2024.
• In September, I rented a tiny cabin in the woods to dedicate the weekend to writing and hiking all by myself. I don’t do this often, but it’s a form of self-love for my introvert nature.
• I wrote a custom (what the youngsters might call “bespoke”) horror poem for my 666th follower on BlueSky, because why not.
• I hung out with the Chicago Horror Writers Association, got to know my fellow members better, and served as the chapter secretary.
• I attended every free lecture I could find, to learn more from other people about the business of writing. In the process, I even got selected for a 60-second live pitch event (wow, that was an experience!) to pitch my book over Zoom, and had my novel’s first line chosen for one of Reedsy’s very educational First Line Frenzy events.
• I joined the Chicago Writers’ Association, mainly to enter their first chapter contest (which I did not win), and I look forward to exploring future opportunities with this group.
• I spoke at public meetings and went door to door to encourage people in my town to vote for excellent candidates for library board, and to defeat their opponents who wanted to ban books.
• I beta read other people’s stories, and cheered on my fellow writers’ successes. It’s wonderful to see other creatives polish their work and succeed.

To all of you reading this, best of luck in 2024 with your labors of love! I’d love to know what you’ll be working on in the coming year. Tell me about it in the comments.