As a professional writer, it seems I work hard but the rewards (and publications) come much later. The wait is often measured in years instead of weeks or months. And of course, some of my writing (including 2023 efforts) may never be published. 
Despite zero new books published in 2023, I've been busy. Most weeks my writing and writing-related work is a full-time job of 35-40 hours a week during the school year. (I took off July and August.) However, I'm awful at keeping track. 
As encouraged by ...