Here are my monthly statistics for February:

• 5,500 new words of fiction written this month. ¹
   
• 22 first drafts currently in progress. ²
   
• 1 first draft currently "ripening" before second draft. ³
   
• 5 second drafts currently in progress
   
• 0 second drafts currently in the hands of "trusted readers."
   
• 4 third drafts currently in progress.⁴
   
• 0 third drafts currently awaiting polishing.
   
• 1 fourth draft in currently in progress.
   
• 2 rewrites in progress of stories previously sent out, based on comments from friends.
   
• 2 rewrites (at request of editors) currently in progress.
   
• 9 stories currently submitted to markets
   
• 1,000 words in shortest story currently submitted.
   
• 8,700 words in longest story currently submitted.
   
• 1 offer of publication received this month. ⁵
   
• Longest current wait without response: 111 days.
   

¹ Better than January, which isn’t saying much. Not up to either my median or my average. It’s been a slow writing month.
² I always have a lot of first drafts "in progress," until one of them really grabs me and I work on it obsessively. In recent months, though, I’ve gotten a few thousand words into each of several stories that then lost steam. Am getting frustrated.
³ I employ a six-week "ripening" period for first drafts.
⁴I need to get cracking on this. These are stories on which friends have commented, and which I ought to be able to knock into shape.
⁵The sale of "Working Holiday" to Sniplits.

It’s actually been a quiet month. Since the Sniplits sale, I’ve heard from only one market (on Feb. 6th). So it’ll have been four weeks tomorrow, which is (I think) the longest period I’ve had without hearing from a market since I started this silly business. I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

Meanwhile, I haven’t submitted any new stories for quite a while. Don’t know quite what’s wrong with me, but I need to work on those revisions.

March, April and May are likely to be slow because of enhanced teaching responsibilities, but we’ll see what I can fit in. I’ve promised a story as a birthday present for my daughter, so that one at least must be finished.

Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged as: drafts markets monthly tally revision sales writing

kenschneyer