2026 is another year of short stories. In this weekly series, I talk about short story writing, from idea and draft to submission.
This is week eight: Feb. 23 – Mar. 1.
Stats
- Stories Finished: 2
- Submissions Currently Out: 8
- Submissions Total: 8
- Rejections: 4
- Acceptances: 0
Goals and Results
My goals for last week were:
- Submit stories
- Submit critiques
- Continue writing Out of Towner, or start a new story.
This week was a submissions week. I made two submissions for stories that have already been making the rounds, and another four for my new stories, Taco Cat and Red Eye. Those submissions get me back on track for meeting my goal of 50 submissions this year.
My inspiration for the story Out of Towner has fizzled, so I’ve decided to set it aside. I haven’t started a new story yet, but I’ve been thinking about punk stories, on two different fronts. The first is an idea for a punk magical community in late 1970s New York, and the second is a budding interest in the genre of Solarpunk. I’ll have more to say about that in a future post.
I continued to neglect my Critters critiques, something I’ll need to rectify in the upcoming week.
Next Week
Unfortunately, my wife injured her arm this past week, so I’ll be picking up the chores that require arm mobility and strength, and giving her some extra support for the next few weeks. That will cut into writing time, and I’ll have to make some adjustments to my plans and goals.
For now, my goals next week are carried over from this week:
- Submit critiques.
- Start a new story.
Words Deferred 