2021 Writing Year in Review
I started drafting this post at the end of December 2021, and then all of a sudden, I realized that it’s already past February and… Read More »2021 Writing Year in Review
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Poetry Marathon and Poem A Day in November
On June 26, 2021, I woke up extra early to start writing poetry alongside people from all over the world as part of the annual… Read More »Poetry Marathon and Poem A Day in November
Dead Links and the Transience of Literary Journals
I’ve been submitting to literary journals since 2012 and been lucky enough to be published in quite a few different ones. Each time, I like… Read More »Dead Links and the Transience of Literary Journals
Published: “Schrodinger’s House”
I started writing poetry again as a break from prose writing, a kind of creativity reset. Poetry has always been my first love. However, I’ve noticed… Read More »Published: “Schrodinger’s House”
Published: How (Not) to Rescue a Princess
There are stories that arrive fully-formed in my mind, and there are other stories that end up different from its first conception. My story, “How… Read More »Published: How (Not) to Rescue a Princess
Great Books Discussion Series for Educators – “\’in-glish\”
I am always touched when “\’in-glish\” finds a new audience. It’s still hard for me to believe that such a personal story has resonated with… Read More »Great Books Discussion Series for Educators – “\’in-glish\”
“matter is never lost” soaps
While I’ve just missed National Poetry Month in April, which would have been the perfect time for this post, I wanted to give an update… Read More »“matter is never lost” soaps
Published: A Safe Place to Remember
Is it already May? There’s quite a bit to catch up on over the next few weeks. However, first, I’m excited to share that I… Read More »Published: A Safe Place to Remember
2020 Writing Year in Review
Those of you who have followed me for years will know that I initially tried the Write 1, Submit 1 challenge, where I tried to write and submit one story every week. That later changed to the 100 Rejections challenge, which was to aim for 100 rejections a year. While I never succeeded in either of those challenges, it did lead me to start a habit of tracking all my submissions and new writings, which I have managed to keep up for going on 7 years.
2020 has definitely been a unique year, both in the challenges and opportunities presented. A lot could be said, but I think I’ll just focus on the statistics as a way to sum up the year:
Writing submissions rolled over from 2019: 9
Writing submissions in 2020 (including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry): 32 (though I may sneak in one more today, if possible)
Non-writing creative submissions in 2020: 4 (all photography)
Total submissions tracked in 2020: 45
2020 Books In Review
It’s important, as a writer, to also be an avid reader. Not only is it enjoyable, it’s a great way to improve as a writer, to see how other writers are approaching their work, no matter the genre (in fact, I think it’s best to read across many genres).
In my day-to-day life with a full-time job coupled with being a full-time mom and wife, I don’t often have the time and inclination to read “proper” books. It’s hard to really get into a book if I only have 10 minutes here and there, or at the end of the day when my brain is fried. So, I end up reading a lot of short blog posts, fanfiction, magazines, and innumerable re-readings of children’s picture books. The last few years, I’ve attempted to at least read one full-length book a month, but I have failed miserably. However, I managed to not only read at least 12 books in 2020, but I’m very happy that the majority of them were written by female and POC authors.
I was going to do this huge long analysis of the books I read in 2020, but instead, I found this great end-of-the-year book ask on Tumblr, so I’ll answer these questions instead:
1. How many books did you read this year?
13 books (hooray!)