By the Numbers

Sometimes I feel like I don't get much creative writing done on my work days; my writing time tends to consist of stretches of surfing the internet or staring into space, punctuated by bursts of actual writing. But I realized that since January I've been rather productive--probably due in a large part to the support from my critique group. It's rewarding to know that when I finish a piece, I have a group of people who will offer thoughtful feedback.


So yesterday I decided to quantify how hard I've worked at writing since the beginning of the year. (I didn't include my freelance work.) Here are the numbers:

Since January 1, 2007 I…

… finished 6 short stories (“Front,” “Inside,” “Journey,” “Upon Her Return,” “Dark Patterns,” “Compatible with Life”) and had 3 workshopped.

…wrote 32 poems (although 31 were haiku).

…submitted 12 short stories, 7 poems, 1 chapbook of poetry, 1 humor piece, and sample chapters of a novel—for which I have so far received 5 rejections.

… wrote 81 blog posts.

…attended 2 open mic nights (reading at both), 10 critique group meetings, 3 local lectures/workshops, and 1 statewide conference.