In the annual tradition of every freelance writer’s need to justify themselves, here is my 2019 Scorecard. How did I do at what I do most? Overall, pretty good, I think. I succeeded more than I failed. Though, I didn’t complete everything I wanted to get done.

Short Story Submissions: 7

• Acceptances: 5
• Rejections: 1
• Pending: 1

This is a very good look for me. Though, in truth, 5 of the 7 short stories were commissioned. I rarely have time to write for markets that are not guaranteed.

New Words Written: 125,130

• Short: 24,130
• Long: 101,000

That equates to 4 new short stories, 1 new RPG project, 1 novella, and 1 novel. In the grand scheme of things, this about 60% of what I normally write. However, life was not as kind to me as it had been in the past. The death of loved ones makes writing hard.

Published Projects: 7

• 2 novels: BattleTech: Iron Dawn and Shadowrun: Makeda Red
• 1 anthology: A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods
• 3 short stories: “Between a Corp and a Hard Place” (Shadowrun), “Written in Red” (Emberwind), “One Town at a Time” (Valdemar)
• 1 podcast: ShadowBytes (Shadowrun)

Awards: 2

• 1 Won: 2019 Rainforest Writers Inspirational Award.
• 1 Nomination: To Fight the Black Wind - finalist for the 2019 Raven Award for Horror/Thriller novel.

Conventions Attended: 5
This is less than half of the number of conventions attended in 2018…by design. I attended 12 in 2018 and that was too much. That’s one of my goals for 2019 succeeded.

Goals for the Year: 6
Succeeded: 4

• Fewer conventions attended.
• Declutter the House.
• Expand my Creative Horizons (Twitch game and Voice talent on the Dire Multiverse).
• Continue focus on my physical health.

Failed: 2

• Figure out my crafting situation (All the crafts are still languishing).
• Curious Fictions (This failed. I didn’t want to keep it up and Ko-Fi was easier and more people have brightened my day with it.)

Next up, a look at the last decade. I think I’ve come a long way and I should celebrate that.