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I want to share a quick update on my January writing project.
Earlier this year, I talked about my plan to set one clear writing goal for each month. January’s goal is a focused micro-fiction project, and although I’m starting a bit late, I’m fully committed.
It’s January 19th, which gives me 11 days to complete this project—and that’s enough.
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Start your year with clarity
Written by Shane Parrish and reMarkable, this workbook helps you reflect without complexity or stress. It guides you through the past year with intention, so insights emerge naturally.
This isn’t about setting more goals. It’s about understanding what matters, clearly and calmly.
A simple reset for January. A thoughtful way to review your year.
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The plan
Write 100–150 micro-stories
Each story will be 50–150 words
Write 10 stories a day for 10 days
Use the 11th day for revision, compiling, and preparing submissions
Instead of locking myself into one rigid theme for the entire project, I’m taking a more flexible approach. Each day will have its own theme, and I’ll explore it from different angles, voices, and perspectives.
Some of the themes already floating in my head:
Loss
Waiting
Change
Memory
More themes will naturally surface as the days unfold, and I’ll lean into them.
I’ll begin writing on January 21st, work consistently through January 30th, and use January 31st to compile everything and share a progress update.
What I expect at the end
Enough strong pieces for a micro-fiction chapbook
Several polished stories ready for submission
A low-risk way to experiment with openings, themes, settings, and characterization
That’s one of the joys of micro-fiction: it lets me test ideas quickly. With longer work, experimentation is expensive—you commit hundreds or thousands of words before knowing what works. Here, I get to try boldly, fail fast, and learn faster.
I’m excited to see where this leads.
More updates soon.
Literary Markets Worth Submitting to
Three-Lobed Burning Eye – Speculative fiction paying around $0.08/word; open until January 16, 2026.
Strange Horizons – Well-known speculative mag with a short submission window (Jan 19–21, 2026); pays about $0.10/word.
Slush – Publishes fiction, micro/flash, prose poems & comics; pays AUD 100; open through Feb 1, 2026.
The Phantom Pulse – Speculative fiction & weird work; pays per word; submissions accepted through Feb 14, 2026.
Southword – Print journal paying €50 per poem; poetry window open through late January (or until filled).