2023 in Review
ID: Jessica Renslow holds a camera as she gets B-Roll in the snow.
That old saying about making God laugh when you make a plan held true for me this past year. So, 2023 was a very transitional and productive 12 months for myself as an writer/filmmaker. I was blessed to be awarded several writing/artist grants and a fellowship. These came at truly the right time as I was also laid off from my day job. (Yeah 2023 was a tough year for those of us working in the tech sector.)
ID: Jessica Renslow Stands in front of a pink Christmas tree displaying he 6 months along baby bump.
Even in the bad times there are moments for reflection and learning. Something I picked along the way was learning to not underbid myself. I was required to really pursue and negotiate hard for my freelance gigs which ended up being a skill I know will come in handy in the long run. Also, I had to figure out my family’s insurance situation which eventually ended up not only saving me some money, but really opened my eyes when it comes to determining if a full time job’s benefits are actually worth the hourly pay cut one takes by going the salary route. I think a lot of writers hold back from taking the freelance route because of fear of losing benefits. From my experience, I recommend to anyone considering becoming a full time working artist do the research on how the change could impact you and your family. The results may surprise you.
Financial ups and downs aside, I was able to stick to my writing schedule, garner some great new clients and spend more time with my guys. Shoutout to my supportive hubby for walking the tightrope of life with a working artist. What an eventful first year of marriage it has been!
So here is how 2023 played out for me. I do this practice each year to give myself perspective. Writing is a such a solo pursuit it is easy to get bogged down by all the rejections and easy not to accentuate the wins. This is a reminder to myself and anyone else out there pecking way at a project that tenacity does eventually pay off. I did not reach all of my original goals, but I grabbed a few brass rings I did not even knew existed at the end of 2022 when I drafted my intentions for 2023. So here it is, the good the bad and the ugly.
My Original 2023 Goals Were:
- Finish converting my second chap book into a middle grade contemporary.-Finished
- Complete my adult paranormal thriller. -Almost (17,000 more words to go)
- Finalize postproduction on Take Bike the Streets (A documentary short film)-Finished
- Enter TBTS into some festivals-Finished and Premiered in Sicily!
- Finish the quirky romcom script I have been brewing on for a few years. (Not done)
- Get an agent (Got closer)
- Enjoy living life to the fullest with my guys! (Yep and we are adding another little boy to the pack in April of 2024.)
My Actual Stats for 2023 Were:
- 122.227 New Words Written
- 111,750 Words Reviewed/Edited
- 8 Pitch Events Entered/ 7 Agent ♥️/ 3 Publisher ♥️
- 44 Agents Queried /5 Partials Requests /3 Full Requests
- 3 Grants & 1 Fellowship Awarded
- 15 Articles Pitched
- 1 Speaking Engagement (National Humanities Conference)
- 2 Films Shown at Festivals 2 Awards Received
- 1 New Nonfiction Client
- Participated in Camp Nanowrimo in March
- Completed all 31 Inktober Prompts
- Participated in Camp Nanowrimo in November
- Applied to 614 day jobs (Got ideal job offer and accepted it on 1/4/24 )
My 2024 Goals Are:
- Complete my adult paranormal thriller and workshop it
- Finalize postproduction on Unearthed Documentary
- Enter Unearthed Documentary into some festivals
- Finish Cozy Mystery rough draft
- Finish holiday romcom
- Finish 2 nonfiction children’s books
- Query contemporary middle grade fish out of water comedy
- Get an agent
- Have a safe birth and lots of fun adventures with my guys!
ID: Green Card with red letters that read "Joy." Inside the "O" a 3 year old boy smiles surrounded by Christmas decorations.
ID: Green Card with red letters that read "Expecting even more joy in 2024!" Jessica Renslow and her family are surrounded by Christmas decorations as they announce their second baby.
