Since I’m pretty sure last night’s show was last thing happening this year and nothing else will shake loose this late, I think it is okay to do my annual artist year in review post and close the books on 2019.
Of course, I once received 4 rejections on Christmas Eve while sitting in a shitty hotel room, so maybe I shouldn’t tempt the universe. But since I’m not traveling this year and it’s no fun for the universe to kick a guy if he can just go home, hug his cat and his wife, and pour himself a stiff drink, I think I’m pretty safe.
First, the basic stats –
Submissions: 36
Sales: 1 (a piece of flash fiction)
Rejections: 32
Publications: 0
Productions: 0
Performances: 8 (6 Literary readings and 2 spoken-word performances)
New Pieces Written: 12 (1 novel, 1 screenplay, 1 flash fiction piece, 2 spoken word pieces, 7 poems)
On the surface it isn’t one of my best years, but I did complete two large projects with that novel and screenplay, and most of my rejections are for the novel I have out on agent submission. I also did appearances at Twin Cities Book Festival, Midwest Comic Book Association Fall Comic Con 2019, The Loft Word Play Event, GPS Holiday Emporium, and 13 Gears Steampunk Expo, and book and reading events at Bingley’s Teas, Cream and Amber Books and Coffee, and DreamHaven Books and Comics, which were all fun events.
I think the two most important things this year brought were that I joined a new writers group with some really strong and talented writers who I feel I can trust, and for the first time since the car accident in 2017, I felt like I was getting back to normal/settling into the new normal. The writing seemed to going at a solid pace and my public appearances were progressively stronger as the year wore on, culminating with last night’s performance where I felt in command on stage again after over 2 years of feeling shaky at best and disappointed at worst with my readings and spoken-word performances.
So there’s the year in review.