We are pleased to invite all fiction authors (published or unpublished) to our annual Author Year End Review for 2022.
Now that we’re about to close out 2022, it’s important to process all that happened (or didn’t happen) for us as writers this year.
We need to find out what worked and what didn’t, so that we can double down on the things that brought us results and eliminate whatever is draining our time, energy, and creativity.
Author Year-End Review
What worked for you? What didn’t?
What reasons do you have to celebrate?
What helped or hindered your creativity?
How close were you to your writing, publishing, and sales goals?
What daily habits and mindsets are holding you back?
If you want to make 2023 your best year ever as a writer, then the Author’s Year-End Review will help you 100%.
Writers are notorious for suffering from Imposter Syndrome, writers’ block, and chronic procrastination. I, myself, struggle with these neuroses every day. They never completely go away, but I have discovered how to become a more confident writer.
I started writing ten years ago, having virtually no idea what I was doing. Although I managed to finish a few novels and novellas, I knew there were issues with my writing. The problem was, I couldn’t tell what they were.
In 2019, I finally decided to take my writing seriously and signed up for my first writing class—Contemporary Dark Fiction with Richard Thomas. He’s the award-winning author of three novels, three short story collections, two novellas, and over 150 short stories.
Required reading for the class was four novels, sixteen articles, and sixteen short stories. The work included weekly writing assignments, four complete short stories (one per month), four analyses of the assigned novels, and critiques of the eight other student’s monthly stories. We also met once a week on video conference to discuss the week’s material.
I do not have a college degree. What little I knew about fiction I learned from reading my favorite authors and Google. To say this class was intimidating was an understatement!
But I dove into it and was amazed at my output. There was something about putting up my hard-earned money and being forced to deadlines that made me push myself beyond my perceived limits. The analysis of the stories, the exploration of what other writers were doing, and the giving and receiving of feedback from the students, especially from Richard Thomas himself, advanced me more in four months than all I’d learned on my own the seven years prior. I went into that class a bumbling novice and came out the other side feeling like, hey, I think I can do this!
Since working with Richard Thomas, I have fast-tracked my writing career and have accumulated a body of quality work. Four of the short stories I wrote in his classes have been accepted by notable anthologies. Now that I’ve earned professional rates for my stories, I was able to become an active member of the Horror Writers Association.
My writing style has gelled. I know what I can do, how I want to do it, and where my work belongs. I no longer look at other authors getting acceptances and being published, wondering what the secret is. When I think about how lost and unsure I was three years ago, I could kick myself for not investing in a serious writing class sooner. I’m now in my third class with Richard Thomas, his Advanced Creative Writing Workshop.
So, my advice to any new writers out there, or any writers who’ve been struggling for a long time, is to find a writing group, course, critique circle, or workshop. Do not keep doing the same things over and over again, wondering why you’re not getting anywhere.
Knowledge equals confidence. The more you know, the better you can wield your creative powers. Give your writing the chance it deserves. Keep learning, keep growing.
The beautiful thing about writing fiction is you’ll always be evolving, but it’s up to you to invest in yourself!
Richard Thomas spent twenty years in advertising before coming back to writing. Since then he’s been an author, editor, teacher, and publisher. He’s the award-winning author of three novels, three short story collections, two novellas, and over 150 short stories.
In addition to teaching at the Storyville, he’s also taught at the University of Iowa, LitReactor.com, and Story Studio Chicago.
He’s been a panelist, teacher and/or guest speaker at Stokercon (Los Angeles), Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (Oklahoma City), The Horror Writers’ Workshop (Transylvania), Columbia College (Chicago), University of Wisconsin (Baraboo), Mystery Writers of America (Chicago), Off Campus Writers’ Workshop (Winnetka), University of California-Riverside (Palm Desert), Writers Retreat Workshop (San Antonio), Lakefly Writer’s Conference (Oshkosh), Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp (West Bend), and FOCUS on the Arts (Highland Park High School).
He was the Editor-in-Chief and Gamut magazine and Dark House Press, and has been a member of the Horror Writers Association since 2012.
His story “Golden Sun” co-authored with Kristi DeMeester, Damien Angelica Walters, and Michael Wehunt will be included in The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Eleven. He’s been nominated for the Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller awards, won contests at ChiZine and One Buck Horror, and has received five Pushcart nominations to date.
About Storyville
“We believe in the power of story. We believe in the capacity of dark storytelling to bring light to the world. Narratives grip us, thrill us, and lift us to new heights. A good story can transform us, giving us a roadmap to navigate the world, and the courage to face the challenges that greet us.
The road to publication can be a hard one. Storyville grew out of a desire to share and give back to authors making their journey. We want to encourage strong voices, to lift them up so they can lift others. We focus on a balance of real world, contemporary examples and authors, as well as classic methods of writing and expression, a mix of genre and literary fiction, craft books and academia, personal struggles and successes.
Our goal is to help you grow, evolve, and find your voice—the one that is unique to only you. We want to help you write the stories you want to tell, in the ways that you find exciting and fulfilling.
We have a wide variety of classes and programs to choose from, so whether you’re just beginning, or you’ve been writing for a while, we have a place for you. Come, find a community of writers to support you through your journey, and learn the skills to take you where you want to go.
This is a great time to be a writer.”
Online Writing Classes by Richard Thomas
Short Story Mechanics (LitReactor) Beginner (or At Your Own Pace, offered here)
Contemporary Dark Fiction Intermediate
Advanced Creative Writing Workshop Advanced
Novel Workshop 365 Advanced
Flash Fiction (LitReactor) Intermediate/Niche
Day of Reckoning–Day of Reckoning is a one-day Skype session that takes place on the second Saturday of each month. Composed of seven classes that run from 9-12 AM and then 1-5 PM CST, each month brings a different mix of instructors and classes. Richard Thomas will be moderating.
Testimonial
Richard Thomas’s Contemporary Dark Fiction class was the best investment I’ve made in my writing. The reading assignments opened me up to a whole new world of dark literature. His taste is impeccable and eclectic, giving students a huge pool of examples of what can be done in dark fiction across genres. The assignments were challenging, forcing me to stretch my talent and create work I didn’t know I was capable of. The weekly class meetings and live Q&As with featured authors made the class a fun and engaging, and workshopping each other’s stories was extremely enlightening and helpful, providing a wide array of insights on how to improve my work. Richard Thomas is the kindest and most generous of teachers. He is passionate, knowledgeable, honest, and unbiased. He critiques every piece turned in for the class and is always available to help. His feedback and advice were what I needed to level up as a writer. I’ve produced more short fiction during the four months of this class than I have since I began writing, and with my new knowledge, I feel confident and excited about the quality of work I will be submitting and publishing. I call Richard Thomas the Mr. Miyagi of writing. I will be taking every class he offers! Christa Wojciechowski
