Writing Update: 12 Months of #OneStoryAMonthSTT

I did it! Sort of. I can’t believe it’s been 12 months already. The goal at the beginning of the year, well more like the end of last year, was to write one story a month. It was finally time to put pen to paper for my book. I definitely started off strong. I had the first two or three stories outlined already so I just worked on those. I worked on new story ideas and outlines and I got a total of five stories done. That’s 38 pages and 10,677 words. Not what I wanted, but we’re celebrating small wins, right? I added a bonus story that I thought would work well in my collection so my manuscript will be a total of 48 pages and 13,598 words.

Instead of “I did it,” I should say, “I started.” And I did my best. The first 4 months were definitely my first time writing consistently in a long time. I did a writing class over the summer that gave me some short story ideas/a potential novel idea. I wrote a lot of fanfiction, which was fun, but slightly distracting. I’m glad I decided to prep the manuscript and get it printed in December because a series of unfortunate events has made me keep my laptop closed: my car stopped working, my uncle passed away unexpectedly, I got sick and what I thought was a cold was Covid so I missed the funeral. Originally, I was planning to still work on a story this month, but life said no. 

I’m ready to take a red pen to the manuscript in the new year. I’m looking forward to how I can improve this short story collection. I’m planning on adding stories. I have a whole writing calendar that I might share later, but I will share there are breaks baked in. But December has reminded me that you can plan all you want, blindsiding will happen. Hopefully I will handle it with more grace next year. I’m over this month and I’m glad today is the last day.

My writing goals for next year are to just work on my writing calendar. I’m revising my book, working on some ideas for novels and working on some stories for Substack. I’m sure I’ll also share something on my blog, but I’m making my books the priorities so bear with me. If you like regular updates, check out Instagram. That’s where I’m the most active. Otherwise, I’ll post when I have some big updates or news.

Thanks for following along with this journey. Let me know your writing or project goals. Happy writing, happy holidays, and happy new year.