Not much to report for November as I spent most of the month grading essays and preparing and delivering two conference papers.
Here are my November statistics:
Poetry: No submissions, no acceptances, but four rejections to report (Green Mountains Review, Third Coast, A Public Space, Third Wednesday). I’ve got quite an inventory of poems that are itching to be sent out into the world.
Creative Nonfiction: Nothing to report here.
Fiction: Nothing to report here either.
Academic: Working on revision of a paper for a peer-reviewed journal that’s given me a conditional acceptance. Due mid-December for inclusion in Winter 2017 issue.
Big plans for December
Once the semester ends, I’ve scheduled practically every day of my winter break to send out poetry, revise a short story, revise a novel in verse, revise two picture books, and revise a YA historical novella, while also preparing to teach The Holocaust and a couple of composition classes in the spring semester. Oh, and I’ll be drafting a paper about successfully using debate in the first-year literature classroom for Northeast MLA in March.
Question 4U: How is your writing going? Have you determined any specific submission strategies?
The Whole Megillah 
Hi Barbara. I like the idea of scheduling in advance your writing goals, not just for the day. Too often I find myself leaving it up to chance or squeezing in what I can on any given day. After dealing with traumatic grief the past year, I had a real set back in my writing. I’ve finally begun to find my words again. I’ve resumed work my new YA novel and have been sending out submissions to essay and fiction contests.
Thanks, Evelyn. I’m so sorry to hear about your grief. The writing will always be there. Please let us know how your submissions work out. And mazel tov on working on a new YA novel.
Thanks for your update, Barbara. You are one very organized writer. My strategy is to finish one short project at a time, with longer ones getting “finished” in a chapter or chunk at a time. I have been dealing with more promotion of an instructional card deck (and realizing I much prefer to write), and got asked to write an article about Mindfulness and Yoga in Education for a national newsletter. The aim in next month or two is to get a targeted website up and running, and to go “live” in January with an online children’s book site for readers grades 4-6. So, I am interested to hear about your upcoming children’s works. We still use “Goldie Takes a Stand.” Thanks for keeping us informed. Happy Holidays and break.
Thanks, Sheila, for sharing your own progress. Your site sounds great! Happy Holidays to you, too.
Barbara, wishing you lots of positive energy for your ambitious December writing goals!
I continue to study various aspects of the writing craft and network with a growing circle of writing peers, having joined The Writers’ Loft in Sherborn, MA this year! Continuing to polish a particular Jewish-themed, non-fiction PB manuscript which has been my passion for the past several years!
Pingback: 2016 Year-End Assessment & 2017 Goals | The Whole Megillah