In 2017, I began submitting and tracking my fiction writing and then posted a 2018 update. How did it go this past year?

• In 2019, I submitted versions and revisions of 33 stories 111 times to 49 different outlets. This included 22 contests.
• Between January 1 and December 31, 2019, I received 106 rejections (including some for stories submitted in 2018) and two acceptances (1.9%).
• One losing story received an Honorable Mention.
• Several rejection notices came with brief comments from editors. A few of my favorites:
  • “We felt the story was well written and confidently told, and we thought the relationship between [A] and [B] well established. We wondered if this piece may benefit from expanding beyond the flash form… we’d love to read more of your work.”
  • “The editors felt that it was a little cutesy…”
  • “There’s something satisfying about that punch at the end!”

Much of the feedback on my stories in 2019, and in previous years, included versions of “this should be longer,” so I have kept that in mind when revising and writing. 

Stories Published in 2019

Three stories were published in 2019, including one accepted in 2018.

On January 22^nd and August 27^th, Daily Science Fiction published independent stories with the same cast of characters. Both capture what my friend Danny Hamsley calls the “curse of the big brain”, which challenges us as parents raising children, and as adolescents dealing with clueless moms and dads.

• “Alien at Home” (366 words; 2 minute read)
• “Alien at Home Again” (474 words; 2 minute read)

On November 4^th, Microfiction Monday Magazine published “Cedar Balls” (99 words; 1 minute read). My brother and Reverend Jim Ignatowski inspired the seventh, critical rewrite.

Enjoy the stories and thank you for reading!