About all those best-laid plans…

In December, when I was making my writing plans for this year, I vowed to write five 5,000 word stories. You see, I’d just finished a very long novella (Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach — coming in March!) and I was itching to write shorter. I had all five planned out. So, it’s September. How have I done with that goal?

Let’s see what I’ve been up to:

  • Wrote and sold a 15,000 word novelette (We Who Live in the Heart, published at Clarkesworld — my tenth story sold!)
  • Wrote a 7,000 word story (currently on submission)
  • Currently revising a 9,000 word story (hope it will end up much shorter)

That’s not too bad. The word count is decent. But then, that’s not all I’ve been doing this year:

  • Wrote two columns for Clarkesworld (The Dream of Writing Full Time and Being James Tiptree, Jr.)
  • Revised Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach twice (no small task)
  • Planned a sequel: Time, Trouble, and the Lucky Peach (will be so much fun!)
  • Planned a book I’m dying to write (even more fun!)
  • Planned three more short stories in the series of five I’m currently obsessed with

When I look at this list, I feel pretty darn productive. Also super excited about writing these things.

And in case that looks just too virtuous, I also started and gave up on a story that just wasn’t giving me joy. And that’s okay! Not all ideas work out and not all are worth the time it takes to make them click.