I’m a little later than usual with my year-end wrap-up post, because I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life, but I do want to share with you guys the highlights of my writing life for 2018. It was a busy year for me.
I revised my big, complicated, crazy WIPbeast in the spring. That was no small feat, and I’m still kind of amazed that I did it. After about half a year of my notorious pre-work, in November I drafted my next and current WIP, which is much less beastly but hopefully just as powerful in its own ways. Those two novels combined with short stories, blog posts, and the like left me with an annual word count total of 156,200 words. I also broke my daily word count personal best—twice. Thanks to a schedule shift, my friend Kelsey and I got to go on our annual writing retreat twice this year: once in the spring and a bonus in the fall. Strangely, I only wrote a couple poems all year. Considering how many barriers popped up, I’m pretty pleased with that output.
Many of those words included the columns that I continue to write for LitReactor and Writer Unboxed. I also presented a workshop for the Writers Guild of Texas, which was wonderful, because I very much enjoy continuing to share some of what I’ve learned along the way with others. And of course here on my own blog I’ve been a busy bee, sharing work, sharing milestones, sharing encouragement, hosting my biggest giveaway yet, talking, theorizing, and discussing everything from horror to remakes, and even sharing a poetry reading vlog. I also joined the Instagram Fam this year, and I hope you’ll follow me @annieneugebauer if you haven’t already.
For new publications, I had three stories in three markets and seven poems in four markets. I also had one story and one poem reprinted. I’ve just learned that one of those original stories, “Cilantro,” has been chosen for inclusion in Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 4. I am thrilled to be in this great ‘best of’ for another year!
Original Fiction
- “Dealing in Shadows,” Suspended in Dusk 2, Grey Matter Press
- “Cilantro,” Fire: Demons, Dragons and Djinn, Tyche Books
- “Glove Box,” The Dark City Mystery Magazine July 2018 Issue, Dark City Books
Reprinted Fiction
- “The Call of the House of Usher,” Haunted are These Houses, Unnerving
Original Poetry
- “Sometimes the Beauty is in the Falling” Encore 2018, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies
- “If, Indeed” Encore 2018, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies
- “The Mountains Do Not Call Me,” Encore 2018, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies
- “Thirst,” HWA Poetry Showcase Volume 5, Horror Writers Association
- “Advancement,” A Book of the Year 2018, Poetry Society of Texas
- “Their First Kiss,” A Book of the Year 2018, Poetry Society of Texas
- “Texas Rain,” 2019 Texas Poetry Calendar, Kallisto Gaia Press Inc.
Reprinted Poetry
- “Light and Liquor,” Undead: A Poetry Anthology of Ghouls, Ghosts, and More, Apex Publications
Other odds, ends, and honors include participating in my first mini-podcast for Unnerving Magazine, having a story from 2017 make Ellen Datlow’s honorable mentions list for Best Horror of the Year, being personally solicited (and accepted! details coming soon!) by my first literary magazine, breaking out of ‘and many others,’ and reading about forty books throughout the year.
I’ve also received plenty of great news this year, various acceptances that will mostly (hopefully) be published in 2019. The ones I can announce so far are:
- “White Paint” (short story), Cemetery Dance Magazine #78, Cemetery Dance Publications
- “I Am” (short story), The Shadow Booth Vol. 3
- “the warped barbed wire” (haiku), A Book of the Year, Poetry Society of Texas
- “Redless” (flash fiction), The Binge-Watching Cure II, Claren Books
- “Zanders the Magnificent” (short story reprint, podcast), Pseudopod
- “Fit for the Wolves” (short story), Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Pantheon Magazine
- “Cilantro” (short story reprint), Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 4, Red Room Press
There are also two more originals and another reprint coming that I can’t share the details of just yet. (Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to get the news first, or subscribe to this blog so you never miss the good stuff.)
It always feels good to sum up a year; I often find that I’ve done more than I realized, after rounding up the list. 2018 was busy, and I have a feeling 2019 will be even busier. Here’s to cramming it full of all the good stuff. I hope you’ll join me along the way. (If you have anything you’d love to see from me this year–be it here on the blog or anything writing-geared–I’d love to hear about it in the comments!)
How was your 2018? I want to hear what you’ve bee up to!
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