Well, I just wrote and lost a much more articulate version of this post. The gods of the internet colluded to teach me a lesson in humility. Second version is more condensed.
The sum of it was: This was a phenomenal, bust-em'-up, banner year for me. My two year musical writing block came to an end. I wrote the songs that will complete my fourth album. I've even put down scratch tracks. They exist outside my head.
My writing year was even better. I made my third through ninth professional-rate story sales. I sold my first reprints, first podcasts, first stories to print magazines and print anthologies. I sold stories to magazines I've been reading my whole life.
Part of my success this year is effort: I wrote when I wanted to watch television, when I wanted to hang out. Every day. I ignored rejections, I aimed for deadlines, I used contests and challenges and critique deadlines for inspiration and motivation. I can honestly say that I worked harder and more consistently on this than I have on any other creative endeavor in my entire life.
I know that I'm lucky to have the time and energy to set aside for writing every day. I also have the good fortune to be writing stories that editors want to read. That's a changeable thing, but this year it worked for me.
2013 by the numbers:
Submissions outstanding as of Dec. 26, 2013: 7 (4 reprints, 3 original)
Total submissions 2013: 69 (reprints & originals) to 43 markets
Acceptances: 12 (1 reprint/podcast, 11 original) to 11 markets
Pro-rates: 7
Sales to: Asimov's, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fireside, Lightspeed, the Long Hidden anthology, among others.
print magazine:3
print anthology:3
e-zine:5
podcast:1
1 sale on 10th submission of the story, 1 sale on 9th submission, 2 on 5th, and the rest on 1st or 2nd submission.
Average: sale on 4th submission
Mode: sale on 1st submission
Stories completed in 2013: 12
Stories written in 2013/sold in 2013: 8
Stories written earlier, revised and sold in 2013: 3
Stories awaiting rewrite: 4
Stories started but unfinished:4
Reprints published: 1
Stories that appeared for the first time this year regardless of date of sale: 4
Stories podcast: 2
Novels written: .5
Rewrites requested: 1 (still need to finish this)
Readings: 4 (Balticon, Readercon, Philcon, Darkover)
2012 for comparison
Total stories written: 7
Total submissions (includes reprints):61
Total acceptances (includes reprints):5
Total original stories published:4 (one appeared in 2013)
Total reprints published:0
2014 (based on existing acceptances)
Total original stories sold for 2014 publication:8
So that was my outstanding year. Tell me about your writing year or your writing goals here or on Twitter!