I put a bunch of time and energy into my writing and submissions in 2022. I managed 52 submissions of 19 different manuscripts, a high-water mark, completed six new ones, and had my first fiction publications, The Usurious Mechanic and Through the Mirror. For these efforts, I earned a grand total of $318.93.
Based on the amount of time I estimate I spent writing, editing, and submitting, the hourly rate rounds down to about $1.50-$2.00/hour. That includes the time I spent putting words into and editing unfinished manuscripts.
I’m proud of these accomplishments. Of course I would have liked to have had more publications, earned more money, and completed more manuscripts, but given time constraints and life events in the fall and winter, I’m calling 2022 a win.
I had hoped to keep the momentum going in 2023, but I broke a bone in my foot in September and it was very painful and distracting, I was laid off from my job in Mid-December, and somewhere around November I came to see why maybe my other manuscripts weren’t selling and realized they needed rewriting.
Since I spent multiple weeks at the start of 2023 consumed with job searching, I didn’t have much mental bandwidth for writing, so this year is off to a slow start. It’s going to stay slow because of different life stuff and all the rewriting I need to do. I’m okay with that, because 2022 was a milestone year and helped me see where I have to up-level my craft.
I’m also using the slower pace to read more, which is critical to better writing, and to consider rewriting a couple of pieces as screenplays to see if I can get some traction there. When I write, I’m mostly trying to describe the 3D movie I see in my head anyway. Blacklist here I come?
If you haven’t, I’d appreciate it if you’d read my stories and drop me a line if you like them. (Don’t send authors negative reviews; we’re quite good at telling ourselves how bad our work is on our own without your help.) Through the Mirror is also available as a podcast if that’s your jam.
Heather Kilbourn 