What I did on my summer vacation. (Hint: Wrote. A lot.)

I can’t believe this Thursday I’ll be back in Vancouver to finish the first draft of my thesis and get ready for my second year of grad school. Where has the summer gone? And what have I done to make use of the time?

I’m glad you asked! (I know, you didn’t ask, and by implying that I’m putting words in your mouths, but bear with me here.) I decided to tally up everything I’ve written while I’ve been back in St. Louis. It adds up to this:

Thesis: 58,278 words (and counting)
Short story for a submissions call: 7,441 words
Short story for another submissions call (that wound up too long for the room they had so I need to find another home for it): 6,543 words
Blog posts galore! 9,200+ words
And assorted miscellany including 1,100 words on a possible sequel to The Unwanted (coming soon!).

Add to that all of the stories I wrote in my first year of grad school, two graphic novel projects, and part of a middle-grade science fiction book, and this has probably been the most productive year for me writing-wise in ever. So, grad school? Totally worth it.