The 13th of April was six months since I left my job. I've been focussing on writing, and enjoying having a different pace of life. The only pressure is the pressure I put on myself. It's hard work, but a different kind of hard work to the work I did before.

I'm writing this blog post to remind myself of some of the things I've achieved and what (a lot) I've still got to do.

These days I get a lot of rejection. That's what happens when you suddenly increase the amount of opportunities you apply for. Hardly a few days can go by without bad news.

I've had some nice things to celebrate too:

• Being shortlisted in the Oxford Books International Poetry Prize.

• Becoming Hastings Library's writer in residence.

• Finishing the first draft of a novel for young adults (as pictured).

In numbers, the last six months looks like this:

• Entirely new pieces of writing finished (stories, poems and a script): 19

• Blog posts written: 15+

• Writing workshops / events delivered: 40+

• Submissions made (competitions, magazines, other one-off opportunities): 40+

• Books read (not counting magazines and journals): 31

As well as those milestones, I've also got much more organised when it comes to writing. I've reread a lot of my old stuff and consolidated some ideas. I've researched opportunities and have a detailed spreadsheet that helps me set deadlines.

I've written, edited and rewritten a huge volume of material to submit to magazines and opportunities.