Well done everyone! I'm so slow compared to you!
Started a flash yesterday and finished draft zero today. It's way over at 1k, so it'll need trimming. Also, it's really not great lol. I have no idea what that is, but I'll try working on it--with not much hope, because it's such a silly little thing and absolutely not what I usually write. That's all the fun of being a pantser...
Apart from this, I'm doing well on submissions. 8 stories submitted so far, and 1 surprise acceptance.
2023 - V40 - Q4 HM
2024 - V41 - Q2 HM - Q3 HM - Q4 HM
1221 today for a total of 11746
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
Well done everyone! I'm so slow compared to you!
Started a flash yesterday and finished draft zero today. It's way over at 1k, so it'll need trimming. Also, it's really not great lol. I have no idea what that is, but I'll try working on it--with not much hope, because it's such a silly little thing and absolutely not what I usually write. That's all the fun of being a pantser...
Apart from this, I'm doing well on submissions. 8 stories submitted so far, and 1 surprise acceptance.
8 stories submitted is doing well for this early in the year - and congrats on the surprise acceptance! 
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
I feel like I have been quite proactive this year and I want to maintain it, so posting seems like a good way to put lines in the sand and say "yeah, this is what I'm doing". So far in 2025:
- I've submitted three stories,
- Had my first rejection, and
- Bought a domain name and settled on a hosting provider.
For the rest of this month I want to keep working on my novel (not broke 1,000 words yet this month), write a shorter form story (probably flash and submit that), and design my website so it goes live.
3rd Place Vol 41 Q3 ("The Stench of Freedom")
Submission record: R x 2 / HM x 7 / SHM x 2 / W x 1
Stories published in Daily Science Fiction, Every Day Fiction, 365tomorrows, and Gwyllion Magazine.
Find out more on my website (www.joelcscoberg.com) or sign up to my newsletter for updates on my writing journey.
I feel like I have been quite proactive this year and I want to maintain it, so posting seems like a good way to put lines in the sand and say "yeah, this is what I'm doing". So far in 2025:
- I've submitted three stories,
- Had my first rejection, and
- Bought a domain name and settled on a hosting provider.
For the rest of this month I want to keep working on my novel (not broke 1,000 words yet this month), write a shorter form story (probably flash and submit that), and design my website so it goes live.
Yay @joel-c-scoberg that's exactly what this thread is for - spurring ourselves on by reporting, goal-ing (is that a verb 😉 ) and supporting 
congrats on the 3 subs! Sorry about the rejection. If it's any comfort I'm already at 8 😥 😥
Looking forward to seeing this web page! I read early on that having one if agents were interested in you was a good thing so I probably made mine way *too* early
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
oh right, and forgot to post my own total for yesterday: 1756 words.
At work today so not anticipating much writing, but I'll still be thinking about my pieces so when I *do* finally sit down....
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Nothing yesterday or today, though I did submit a short story today.
My brain is not in it but I'll catch up, hopefully.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
Yesterday only wrote 39 words, but it was a poem and 39 words of poetry is heavy lifting for me 🤣
What took most of the time yesterday though was reading/beta-reading and commenting on (12) other people's stories - its a thing I'm doing for January
Still working on todays writing goals tho!
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Only 710 words yesterday, but hey, thats still more than the day before 😆
Today is my intense work day at my regular job so I'm expecting a zero 🙁
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
just 373 mostly lousy words today, but I did also work a 14 hour day at the dayjob, so I forgive myself 😉
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Wish I had more to add. Though I'll say I aim to edit for one hour a day. So far so good.
I'm now up to page 525 in my read-through.
Career: 1x Win -- 2x NW-F -- 2x S-F -- 9x S-HM -- 11x HM -- 7x R
Like me: facebook/AuthorTJKnight
Ok, I've had a couple of ropey days but managed 1280 today for a total of 13026. I will catch up.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
Wish I had more to add. Though I'll say I aim to edit for one hour a day. So far so good.
I'm now up to page 525 in my read-through.
thats awesome @tj_knight !
Don't think it matters whether we use words written, pages edited, or time spent, as long as the metric is meaningful to us personally and the outcome to the project
I personally only eeked out 1001 words today and I know most of them were bad. At this point I'm just trying to finish the story and hoping in edit I can rescue the prose from awful to acceptable, but I just can't stare at an unfinished project anymore!
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
I'm on new blood pressure tablets and the doc warned me they might make me a little light headed. Was he right? Yes he was.
Still, 1544 today for a total of 14570 so far. I am slowly catching up.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
@pdblake just think how many words you would have had if you hadnt been on new blood pressure meds. Dang that doctor! 😆
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Yesterday was rough. Wrote a story draft at 2800 words, which sounds great, until you know the word limit for this piece was 750 words, so then I had to cut over 2000 words back out , keeping the plot somewhat intact (some scenes were deleted), and that was brutal
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Nothing yesterday but 1335 today for a total of 15905.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
slow day. worked on the Q2 just a little. Did some tidy up on a flash piece. Mainly spent time writing a new blog entry.
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
1664 today for a total of 17569.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
its not been a fiction heavy day but I have written 1518 words in blog posts and a pitch for a science-fact article to a magazine. I've honestly had more success with those than fiction, but we'll see if that pans out 
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
ps oh, and I slush read and wrote comments on a lot of other people's pieces too!
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
oh, so in the quickest turn around of the century - update to come in the success thread I guess
And today was 400 words of fiction and 1036 of non-fiction
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Nothing yesterday, but 1636 today for a total of 19205.
2.8k behind and catching up steadily.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
14 hour work day today, so my only achievement was I ate Burger King with one of my sons.
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
a little over 200 words today but they're not really prose, they're an outline/ideas/sketch for a (probably) flash story
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
I haven't been here much, but I've been so busy, it was hard to find time. I've written 2 flash over the past couple of weeks, edited a couple of pieces, gave feedback on 24 stories from my flash group. I've received 50 stories in my slush pile and I've been deep into them: as the mag had paused during holidays, most of these stories are from end of December/first days of January, and I hate having the authors wait for too long, especially if they won't make the cut.
This weekend will be back to drafting a flash, and trying to progress through my slush pile.
Oh, and I still need to find, revise, polish pieces for Apex flash and Fantasy. Argh 🤪
2023 - V40 - Q4 HM
2024 - V41 - Q2 HM - Q3 HM - Q4 HM
@hannya it's like we're living parallel lives with the flash and crits and slushing
So far today edited 200 words out of a bloated story and sent off for some more eyes on it. My own are increasingly blind to this stories errors.
We will see if today yields any more writing time.
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
Nothing yesterday. I started therapy again for the PTSD, so my brain wasn't into it.
1258 today though for a total of 20463 and I subbed four short stories too.
R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog
Small Gods and Little Demons - Parsec Issue #10
I added another 1513 this evening
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
and congrats @pdblake on the submissions! Sometimes thats the hardest bit for me
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
Writers of the Future:
2025 Q1: HM Q2: WIP Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2025: 19 submitted 0 acceptances
2024: 45 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2025 goals: a. New Novel b. New piece submitted/month c. 100 rejections
