Write 1 Sub 1 Update

Woman Writing by Pablo Picasso

I've settled into my year of Write 1 Sub 1. I have changed my badge from the weekly to the monthly badge. Having three months of work and observation under my belt, I've adjusted my goals from writing four stories and submitting two every month, to writing two stories and subbing two. Really, I should call it the W2S2 challenge. 

Two stories a month still doubles my output from last year, so originally setting a goal of a story a week was probably a bit pie in the sky. On one hand, reaching for the stars pushed me to start cranking out more raw writing than I ever had before, but I now have a backlog of material that needs editing and critiquing so that it can go out the door. Adjusting this goal for the long haul feels rewarding because I can now consider myself a two-story-a-month writer.

Another reason for the adjustment is that my stories are getting longer (or maybe it's just that my first drafts are getting bigger and sloppier). I am lagging on the submissions side, as I continue to work out my best practices for managing the multiple revisions for each piece that are an important part of my writing process (in fact I think I like revising more than drafting, since as Hemingway so famously said, "the first draft of anything is shit." And, you know, sometimes it's not so fun to wade through all of that). I am still working on a process that will keep my revisions moving through the pipeline while still allowing me to generate new material. 


So far this year my output seems to be working out to one flash story and and one long piece each month. I am going to take next week to focus on revision and submissions. 

January:
1. The Mausel Dog - short story (3,900 words) finished and in submission.
2. That Guy - poem - finished, posted and in submission to poetry venues (that take reprints).

February:
1. Izzy Crow - Novelette (currently 13,000 words) in revision, critique next.
2. Naturally - Flash (1,000 words), critiqued* and ready for final revision/submission.

*I posted Naturally at Online Writers Workshop and it is currently an Editor's Pick for a pro critique. You can see Leah Bobet's critique in the April newsletter.

March:
1. Kin - Flash (1,000 words) in revision, critique next.
2. Time is a Place Called Night (currently about 10,000 words) resting/waiting for revision and critique.

April:
1. The Internet of things - Flash (1,000 words) in revision.
2. The Ruby Gorget - on deck, i.e. research and outlining is finished, probably another novelette.