My Top Posts of 2024

...and the "Most Eyeballs" award goes to...

In Bethlehem, PA, they ring in the new year with a giant peep.

It’s hard to believe 2024’s in the books. 2024 marks my first full year here on Substack so I thought I’d take a page out of

Hanna Delaney

‘s proverbial book and share my ten most popular posts of the year. First off, I am immensely thankful for my wonderful subscribers and followers (seriously, you’re the best and have taught me so much!) Second, I am continually amazed by the Substack community and look forward to seeing what we all get up to in 2025!

Without further verbosity, here are my top 10 most popular posts of 2024:

(10) Punch Drunk Doug

Oh, Doug…Dougie boy, what is there to say? A lot actually…This started as an entry into a Not Quite Write flash fiction contest. It didn’t place in the contest, but the idea hung around. It was the first fiction piece I wrote where I felt like I captured something personal. The response was so supportive that it inspired me to keep trying my hand at fiction, and, well…here we are!

(9) The Man With No Tongue

This is the only post in this year’s top ten about my day job at the crisis call center. Oh, and my music makes a rare appearance as well.

(8) as you were

This one was new territory for me. It’s the longest thing I’ve written so far. Attempting to stretch characters and a narrative across a longer duration was eye-opening, and I hope to do more of it in the new year!

(7) Watched Pots

To celebrate the 66th anniversary of The Twilight Zone, Substack masterminds J. Curtis and Sean Thomas McDonnell got 31 of us together to pay tribute in a happening known as The Substack Zone—a cool 108,707 words that rocketed around the internet, even getting a nod from The Rod Sterling Memorial Foundation!

(6) lemons

Well, well, well…you know what they say: When life gives you lemons, write about 9/11. I had the idea for this one for a while but could never make it work. For some reason, it came together when I took a leap and wrote it as a one-sided email correspondence.

(5) ever westward

This is my personal favorite of my 2024 posts. I don’t know where this voice came from, but one day, it showed up in a flash fiction piece called body’s want. I thought that would be the end of it; I’ve purged the voice from my system. This wasn’t the case. The voice kept coming back so I expanded it into ever westward. Before hitting Substack, I entered it in the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize (it made it to the long list!)

(4) lodestar

The answer to the question, “Dad, why can’t I play with your Zippo?”

(3) daisy broth

The answer to the question, “Mom, why does this soup taste like my dead brother?”

(2) white flag

The answer to the question, “What if I just gave up?”

(1) three cheers for whatever’s left after the barbiturate

…and the award for “Most Eyeballs” goes to…*drumroll*…my dead dog. Congrats, Bowser! Even in the great beyond, you’re turning heads and breaking hearts.

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BONUS LIST!!

Here are some posts that have stuck with me this year (in no particular order):

bluebird by

Clancy Steadwell

Fiona’s Floating Bed by

c.s. mee

Godstar by

Layla 💰

Novelty by

Caleb Caudell

Dance till you drop by

Anonymous

“Hello, Hello, Hello” by

Sandolore Sykes

Ditch Rockets of San Bartolo by

Jon T

hopeless in boston by

hope(less) on sundays

and

ALUKAH

Waffle House by

daisy cashin

Bob Graham Woke Up This Morning by

Bob Graham

Dawn of the Dogs by

J.K. Ghillis

Puffball by

EJ Trask

physics in the vending machine by

petrichor

augury by

Jane Dougherty

Fracking by

James Worth

everyone i love is capable of dying by

lucie eleanor

Cool Like Casali by

Jim Cummings

Spongos The Love Fungus by

NJ

ephemeral beauty and longing to keep it by

Sudana Krasniqi

The Ones I’ve Loved by

Logan Heron

Three Kilos of Clementines by

Hassania

A Crowd by

A.P. Murphy

The Hanging of Lester Bragg by

𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐜𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥

Burberry Grove by

Larry Carter Jr

Mama in classical definition by

Jason Howell Hamilton

Slab City by

Deirdre Lewis

…and so many more!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!

Cheers!

-wb