A New Year’s surprise: I’m actually writing a blog post!
*blows dust off the den of writerly wackiness*
So, 2012. You’ve been insanely busy, frequently maddening, occasionally shiny, and utterly draining. You’ve been the year of the “lovely writing and there’s a lot to like but . . .” rejection. You’ve been the year of stories I adore and am really proud of not finding any love. But I am done with you, 2012. Done, I say! Now get off my lawn.
2012 Writerly Progress
Despite having some trouble with that whole writing/work/school/singing balance thing, I somehow managed to produce a fairly respectable amount of fiction this past year (respectable for me, at least). One new flash story still needs some pondering and revising, but I also finished four other new stories, one of which has already found a home (see shiny things below). I finished some substantial revisions on two other stories, one of which was a rewrite request that led to a sale to Every Day Fiction (also among the shiny things below). And I’m partway through major revisions on yet another story.
Shiny 2012 Things
Since my last blog post, I’m thrilled to say that I received an acceptance from Flash Fiction Online for “The Swan Maiden,” one of the new stories I wrote this year. This will be my second appearance in FFO.
As mentioned in a post many months back, my opera-singing zombie story “The Holy Spear” from issue 25 of Black Static made Ellen Datlow’s full list of honorable mentions for The Best Horror of the Year, volume 4. Admittedly, it’s a rather lengthy list, but I’m pleased to be on it all the same.
And I’m happy to have seen the following stories published in 2012:
- “Ghost Writer to the Dead”— Penumbra, vol. 2, issue 1, Oct 2012
- “The Little Things” — Every Day Fiction, July 9, 2012; podcast Aug 13, 2012
- “Sea of the Gods” — BayCon: Progress Report 3, April 2012
- “The Sins of the Living” (audio reprint) — Tales to Terrify, no. 15, April 20, 2012
- “The Cycle of the Sun” — NewMyths.com, issue 18, Mar 2012
2013: Bring It!
Ok, 2013, here’s what I’d like to get done in the writing department: Those revisions on that story I mentioned earlier. Some more flash stories that actually stay at that length. Perhaps tackle a couple of those short story ideas that have been nibbling at my brain. And get back to the revisions on My Big Fat Epic Fantasy Novel.
Work with me on those, 2013, and I think we can accomplish some awesomeness together.
Barbara A. Barnett 