Resolute

Some said it couldn't be done, that we'd sacrifice quality for quantity.

52 short stories written and submitted in 52 weeks? Were we insane?

Ray Bradbury once said, "If you can write one short story a week – doesn't matter what the quality is to start, but at least you're practicing. At the end of the year, you have 52 short stories, and I defy you to write 52 bad ones. Can't be done."

But going into last year's Write1Sub1 challenge, I knew I was no Bradbury. I had only 5 short stories published and a growing mound of rejection letters. Following Bradbury's example was something I'd hoped to try at some point in the distant future—maybe once I'd retired. But teaching full-time AND writing, editing, and submitting a new short story every week? It wouldn't be easy.

It wasn't. At times, I questioned whether I'd ever be able to reach the finish line. Some stories wrote themselves, but others were like pulling out my own teeth. Regardless, I DID IT, and I can honestly say I wrote some of my best work last year.

Of the 157,000 words written and submitted in 2011, 15 of my 52 stories have already been sold to paying markets, and I hold high hopes for the rest. In addition, I wrote a lot of haiku and microfiction, and 83 pieces were accepted/published.

But Write1Sub1 isn't over; in some ways, we've just begun.

Write1Sub1 RELOADED starts today, and my New Year's resolution is to write and submit at least one new short story every month. Stepping down from the weekly challenge should provide more time for my novel-length projects, and I'm looking forward to moderating the site with W1S1 veterans.

It's never too late to join. What have you got to lose?

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R !