It’s halfway through the year. Time to look at how I’m going on my goals.

Target for the full year: 60 short story submissions to magazines and anthologies.

So far: 41 (68%).

Target for the full year: write 15 short stories.

So far: 10 (67%).

I’ve written just over 30,000 words of short fiction (under 8000 words), and another 80,000 words of longer fiction (novella or novel length) so far this year. That’s more than the whole of last year in both cases, thanks to a changed job situation.

Moving from goals (things I have fairly direct control of) to responses: I’ve had 2 sales, 21 form rejections, and 7 personalised rejections so far this year. One of those sales is to a pro market.

Partly, I think, the low number of sales as compared to submissions is because I’ve been submitting to the established markets, where I’m competing with established writers. I’ll be lowering my sights a little in the second half of the year, and mainly submitting to the emerging pro markets instead.

http://csidemedia.com/shortstories/goals-aspirations-and-achievements/