Like most people, I was glad to see the back of 2020 and hope for better things in this new year of 2021.
Most years I look back at my writing achievements for the year that has passed and despite the madness of 2020, there are a few positive things that I can take from it. The first notable thing is that in lockdown I achieved more word count than ever before. For example, in April alone, I wrote a whole first draft of a 110k+ word novel, plus 75% of another from Aug to now, and I submitted more of my writing than in any other year.
I have undertaken a whole year of the GEA North Story Foundations course with my YA fantasy novel Half-lands. Unfortunately due to being made redundant at the end of the year, I am unable to continue, but hope to join as member only to continue work on it.
Last year for the first time, I applied and won a writing bursary, which following positive feedback from a great agent, bolstered my confidence in my writing ability and had me flirting with the idea of self-publishing in that genre. Later in the year I also won a bursary for the Bridport Novel for a free entry into the novel prize.
2020 was also the year of positive rejections, as in a list of all the things they liked about my writing but that it wasn't the right time for the genre, or they didn't see enough to want to represent. One agent who didn't feel they were the right one to look at what I'd sent, recommended I send to a colleague and if I wasn't successful (sadly it wasn't) wanted to see my crime novel again (I am editing now so that I can resubmit) and another, when I won a place on a virtual meet the agent type event, gave me their email so that I could resubmit after making the recommended changes (again, am carefully editing in order to resubmit). Fingers crossed for better results second time around.
Though my writer friends assure me this means I am close, and I know this is something to be proud of and keep me going in my many down moments, I am hoping this might be the year that I learn what it is that IS missing so that I can achieve my dream of becoming a published writer.
Towards the end of 2020, when I very luckily received a new chromebook for my birthday in December and had to save to USB sticks to take my writing off my old laptop and transfer to the new, it took two thumb drives to take it all (I know that is not just writing done in this year, but it made me realise just how much writing - and therefore learning - I have achieved since gaining my first degree and, more recently, treating it as a job with deadlines and planning accordingly).
In my 2020 monthly breakdown I achieved:
JANUARY
Submissions: Chicken House Open Day, Phoebe Morgan Twitter Crime Writer competition, applied for writing bursary,
Editing: Picture Book MGIAV
Words: 2 new poems, New section for Dystopian YA Digital Heroin and YA fantasy Half-lands
Successes: Won writing bursary
Rejections: Twitter crime writer and writers retreat competition
FEBRUARY
Submissions: Burning for You to NWN TLC Award, Digital Heroin to NWN Northbound Book Award, MG novel Thorde for formatting for self-publishing, CHCCYA meet the agent place, David Higham Underrepresented writers open day, Bluemoose Books Writers School competition, Lindsey Kelk mentoring opportunity, Jericho Writers self-edit your novel course competition, elevator pitch and three chapters Cornerstones Literary Agency
Editing: Burning for You with RNA NWS notes,
Words: new poems, New section for Dystopian YA Digital Heroin and new scenes for YA fantasy Half-lands, 4 chapters of Undercover
Successes: Accepted for meet the agent place at CHCCYA (cancelled due to C-19)
Rejections: Bluemoose Books Writers School competition
MARCH
Submissions: Phoebe Morgan Twitter comp for feedback on first 10k words crime/suspense, Louise Buckley Twitter feedback, LauraPAuthor tweet competition, Caught short story into Grazia competition, Jericho Writers Twitter pitch, Pitch Tweet Anne Perry Esq and sent first 10k words to GEA Editor
Editing: Half-lands
Words: New sections for Undercover and Half-lands, short story Caught
Successes: No feedback this month
Rejections: Phoebe Morgan Twitter comp for feedback on first 10k words crime/suspense, Jericho Writers self-edit your novel course competition, Louise Buckley Twitter feedback, LauraPAuthor tweet competition, Jericho Writers Twitter pitch, Pitch Tweet Anne Perry Esq
APRIL
Submissions: DH into SCBWI Opening Lines, Phoebe Morgan Twitter comp for feedback on first 10k words crime/suspense
Editing: None as taking part in NaNo and wrote 110k+ novel
Words: New sections for Digital Heroin and Undercover,
Successes: No feedback this month
Rejections: David Higham Underrepresented writers open day, Phoebe Morgan Twitter comp for feedback on first 10k words crime/suspense
MAY
Submissions: MGAV pitch #WMPitch, Pengiun Random House WriteNow workshop with TP, Guppy Books YA, LB submission following agent recommendation, Bridport Novel Swansong bursary - entered, MGIAV Bright Agency, BFY to A.M.Heath, BFY PSLiteraryAgency, Madeleine Milburn Mentorship, UEA writing scholarship, Bath Novel Award
Editing: Undercover synopsis rewrite, Undercover MS, Digital Heroin, KN sumbission, Bridport Novel Swansong bursary - The Pallbearer
Words: New section for Dystopian YA Digital Heroin, Psychology of Character workshop writing
Successes: Bridport Novel Swansong bursary - send work by end of Month
Rejections: Laura Kinsella Scholarship
JUNE
Submissions: BFY NorthLitAgency, #PitMad, MGIAV Hachette Virtual Open Days, Cornerstones Literary Clinic, Jericho Writers, Agora Books Lost the plot work in progress prize, Will Dean Twitter competition with TP
Editing: Rayvon's Party as a monologue, Bottle and Rayvon's party to MMH online acting class
Words: New sections for Undercover, new RS
Successes: KN request for 3 chapters and synopsis crime novel, Bottle and Rayvon's party to MMH online acting class - will act out, #PitMad Immortal Works publishers first 5 pages request, Cornerstones Literary Clinic phonecall with HCB - requested first 3 chapters and synopsis, Will Dean Twitter competition - great feedback, thinks it is close
Rejections: NWN TLC Award, NWN Northbound Book Award. Pengiun Random House WriteNow workshop, Bath Novel Award, Jericho Writers
JULY
Submissions: KN submission TP, HCB submission TP, KN Book Camp Mentorships, HarperImpulse BFY, HarperNorth BFY, BFY to BR as agent recommendation
Editing: Quantum Worlds, The Pallbearer,
Words: Half-lands, new RC
Successes: MGIAV Hachette Virtual Open Days - meeting in October, HCB suggests core editing
Rejections: Guppy Books YA, LB submission recommending fellow agent, BFY to A.M.Heath but recommending sending to colleague, KN Book Camp Mentorships, HarperImpulse BFY, HarperNorth BFY
AUGUST
Submissions: BFY Wendy Sherman Associates, BFY Jane Rotrosen Agency, BFY Richard & Judy competition,
Editing: BFY, planning new novel, Quantum Worlds
Words: new RC
Successes: No feedback
Rejections: BFY Jane Rotrosen Agency
SEPTEMBER
Submissions: KN submission first 3 chapters and book plan of new MS, #RNANWSOneDayPitch Simon & Schuster, BFY Avon Books
Editing: BFY
Words: new RC
Successes: No feedback
Rejections: UEA writing scholarship, KN submission, #RNANWSOneDayPitch Simon & Schuster
OCTOBER
Submissions: Amanda Reynolds Twitter Mentorship, SYP North Mentorship Scheme, BFY to DHH following Twitter call out, Carina Press pitch day, SCBWI Slush Pile comp
Editing: BFY, Space Cake and Bottle
Words: New sections for RC, horror script, poem and performance poem
Successes: Amanda Reynolds Twitter Mentorship - asked for first page but then chose another writer
Rejections: Began collaborating with a film director on a horror script, Teams meeting with HarperNorth re picture book (asked for changes and then resubmit), accepted for Carina Press pitch day (pitched 24 November), BFY to BR as agent recommendation (can now send TP to previous agent)
NOVEMBER
Submissions: Harper Collins Publishing Teams Day, sent 10k of Half-lands to GEA editor, DHH Virtual Pitch
Editing: CE MS, two picture books, Half-lands
Words: Horror script, new RS, poems
Successes: Got place on Publishing Teams Day
Rejections: None
DECEMBER
Submissions: #PitchMad #PitchWars
Editing: Picture Book and new RS
Words: new RS
Successes: #PitchMad #PitchWars CS at Harlequin asked for first 3 chapters and synopsis
Rejections: SCBWI Slush Pile comp, DHH Virtual Pitch
Although I have used initials for most of my novels and for agents above, you can see that there have been a lot of writing positives to take from this year. All the while I was running the virtual CWG meetings, and for the last ten weeks of the year attending HLF creative writing sessions, plus applying for lots and lots of jobs, but still managed to get all of this done. Which goes to prove I can.
So, with that in mind, my plan is to finish editing TP to send to the agent who requested a second look, finish editing the picture book and resubmit to the agent and get my current WIP to first draft whilst still submitting to competitions and other agents/publishers with my other finished novels.
Wish me luck...
Later this year it will mark the 10th anniversary of me starting this blog (my first post was on the 9th of October 2011) and I am hoping that by this time I may have some even more positive news on the writing front. Here's hoping 😊
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