As much as 2020 sucked in myriad ways, it was a good year for me in terms of writing. I made some great sales, published fiction as well as poetry, and became a member of Horror Writers Association. Most importantly, I feel like my writing has improved as I’ve been getting holds/shortlists at great magazines much more frequently than before.
Here’s my 2020 output.
Flash Fiction
- Fanciful Flights, Defenestration, December 20, 2020. (humor+low fantasy)
- Lightning’s Kiss, Fudoki Magazine, November 3, 2020. (fairy tale)
- Jawbreakers, The Arcanist: Halloween Flash, October 2020. (Halloween horror+humor)[buy on Amazon] Free to read in Ellipsis, October 31, 2020.
- The Serpents of Kthyb Seven, Theme of Absence, October 30, 2020. (sci-fi)
- Love Poems of Father Catullus, 365 Tomorrows, October 11, 2020. (sci-fi)
- Frequent Flyer, The Molotov Cocktail: Flash Odyssey, August 2020. (slipstream)
- Pink Breaths, Ocher Haze, The Arcanist, August 14, 2020. (sci-fi)
- Pixie Dust, Spelk, August 10, 2020. (literary)
- Within, Trembling with Fear, June 28, 2020. (horror)
- Underfoot, Bending Genres, April 2020. (absurdist literary)
- Nucleus Accumbens, Kanstellation, February 8, 2020. (sci-fi)
- Crown Shy, The Arcanist, January 24, 2020. (fantasy/alternate history)
Microfiction (100 words or fewer)
- They Whisper, Trembling with Fear, May 24, 2020. (sci-fi horror)
- Three Royal Consorts, The Wellington Street Review, March 2020. (historical fiction — interconnected drabbles)
- Among the Stars, Frozen Wavelets, February 29, 2020. (sci-fi horror)
- Embrace, Dark Moments (Black Hare Press), February 28, 2020. (horror)
Poetry
- Bruce Banner Gets a Physical, Rat’s Ass Review, Winter 2020 issue, October 2020. (poetry)
- Sure, Honey, I’m a Sexy Witch, The Daily Drunk, July 22, 2020. (poetry)
- Shoemobile 13, Back Patio Press, May 2020. (poetry)
- My Husband’s Crying Pennies, Neologism Poetry, Issue 33, February 29, 2020. (poetry)
- Two Poems, Fourth and Sycamore, February 6, 2020. (poetry)
Plans
I know 2021 will be very busy at work, so I will have less time for fiction than I had in 2020. I’ve been happy with my flash output and the ability to publish it, so, in 2021, what I really need to do is write and try to place some longer stories. For a while now, I’ve been promising myself I would do it, but it’s hard to deny the pull of the comfortable long-flash form (~1000 words). I hope to jump the hurdle of the unknown and produce some proper short stories (~3-5k words) in the new year.
Happy 2021, everyone!
Maura Yzmore 
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