First and foremost, let’s give a collective sigh that 2020 is finally over. Now knock on wood that the worst of the decade is behind us.
With that, despite 2020 being gods-awful, I have to admit that writing wise, it’s been pretty good to me! So, here’s a post reviewing what I managed to accomplish this year:
Allodasos
My fantasy novella series, Allodasos, was picked up by DLG for publication online! I signed a contract for ten novellas, all of which I have plotted out. Of these, the first, Gnats, had gone through many stages of edits. Enough that I was on the verge of ripping my hair and/or eyeballs out. It was brutal, but enlightening. Gnats will be released in the next couple of months, I’ll let you know as soon as there is a solid release date.
The second and third books of the series (Sinkhole and Colorblind, respectively) are in various stages of edit and the fourth novella is half written. Expect more updates on these in the near future. Especially Sinkhole, that one may have a cover being revealed sooner than later!
I also released on my website a short story/monologue by Allodasos’s protagonist. You can read “Eva’s Exposition” here!
The Wizard’s Staff
Because I put aside Allodasos, book 4, to work on editing Gnats, I decided to do a quick little satire/parody novellete. The Wizard’s staff is the unfortunate lovechild of a LitRPG, cheesy romance, and DnD campaign gone wrong. I’ve been told I’m a horrible person for writing it and that the world is worse of with it than without. I’m taking this as a serious compliment. This story will be self-published on Amazon by the beginning of March 2021 under Macy Blush, the fictional author who hired me. Unsurprisingly, there’s a story there.
Short Stories
In 2020, I had four(!) short stories published. Of these were:
“A Matter of Time” in the 101 Proof Horror anthology by Haunted MTL;
“Morning Air” in 50-Word Stories;
“Blowing off the Dust” in 50-Word Stories;
And “Destroying the Evidence” in From the Depths.
Poetry
In addition to these narratives, I had six poems published in various literary magazines, both online and in print. These include:
“Light” in GRIFFEL;
“Weekends” in What Rough Beast: COVID-19 Edition;
“Old Tin Cup” in Alchemy Literary Magazine;
“The Bruising Light” in the first batch of Maya’s Micros of The Closed Eye Open;
“Finality” in AntiLang;
And “Insomnolence” in AntiLang.
Non-Fiction
This year I also completed my online Master’s dissertation, “Molly Ockett as a Folkloric Figure”. This thesis project was creating utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps and explores how Molly Ockett is seen by the modern population and what that means for both her story and the relationship between the white mainstream culture and the Native community.
I also uploaded my tongue-in-cheek research findings “Hitting the sack: Does striking a bag effectively diminish fatigue and its effects? An idiom examined.” This experiment was conducted using proper research and the scientific method. You can find it on Research Gate filed under the DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27916.13449.
The Rejection Counter
And where would I be without my trusty rejection counter? The end of 2020 has brought this infuriating little ticker up to 193 rejected submissions which include 71 unique works encompassing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
2021
I’m looking forward to 2021, I already have some projects slated for release next year in various magazines on top of Gnats, and I’m still sending out those submissions. You’ll be receiving updates as soon as I do, so stay tuned!
Freelance Professional Critiquer
Oh yeah, and I also became a freelance professional critiquer on CritiqueMatch.com. If your looking for a new set of eyes to go over your writing, check me out there—my rates are low, and critiques are highly rated!
A New’s Year Gift
Last, but not least, here’s some art that I made of Stoneface, one of the antagonists in Gnats. In case you couldn’t tell, he’s a stone troll.
With that, I bid adieu. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year. Stay safe and healthy!
~B.S.Roberts