Hello everyone,
I think we can all agree that this year has flown by so quickly! Overall for me it was a bit hit and miss, but looking back, it was a very decent year in several areas.
I became a book blogger and connected with an amazing online community, I read more than I ever had in a year, and I gained lots more experience at work. Added to that, I finished the draft of my WIP and am currently editing.
Here is a review of my 2018.
Writing
At the end of 2017, I went through a bit of a writing slump, so one of my resolutions was to start prioritising it again and really get working on my WIP, a biography. It took some time to come together, but in the summer I made good progress and was able to finish the draft in November.
It took a lot of research, but I am now at the editing stage. Once that is done, I shall do what I can with a view to getting it published, although that still feels some way away.
Elsewhere, I have written another six magazine articles for Soccer 360. It is still quite thrilling to receive a copy of the printed magazine and see my writing in there!
I also started writing poetry again this year and shared it on my blog, so when I factor in all the posts and reviews, it feels like I wrote lots this year!
Reading
Before 2018, I had always loved books and enjoyed reading, but I was never an avid reader. This year I tried to improve on that by starting a Goodreads account and setting myself a target of 45 books, which I thought was ambitious.
What I never expected was to reach that target before the end of August, and pass 60 books before the end of the year. My love of reading just grew and grew as the year went on, and my TBR pile has increased immeasurably!
As well as discussing books with other bloggers, one of my reading highlights of the year is doing buddy reads with my friend Gem. We are about to start reading our fourth book together, and I hope there will be many more in 2019.
Blogging
I first began this blog in 2016, but this was the year where I really got started as a book blogger, and it has been amazing! I have enjoyed writing and sharing my book reviews, and developing my own style, as well as building the confidence to write discussion posts and share little things about myself.
But perhaps even better than sharing my own posts, was discovering and becoming part of the online bookish/blogging community. It is absolutely wonderful, so supportive, and I could name so many bloggers who I just love to interact with, and who produce excellent content.
I never expected to reach 250 followers on my blog by the end of 2018, or be nominated for a number of tags and awards, so thank you!
Work
I have worked as a university administrator for almost four years, but this was my first full year in my current job. There were some challenges, and now and again it was slightly stressful, but overall I think I have done quite well and I received good feedback at my annual staff review.
I have certainly gained a lot more experience. My main role is to deal with staff and student enquiries, but I have helped organise a lot of events, and I have loved working on university open days. In May, I even got to be an archaeologist for a day, which was fun!
Adulting
I must admit that I have mostly failed at adulting in 2018! Looking ahead to next year, I am hoping to find better ways of managing my time and planning ahead more.
I managed to do a lot of things this year, had some nice days out, but there is definitely plenty that I need to work on for me to be happier with more aspects of my life outside of reading and writing, so I am trying to stay positive on that front.
Let’s Chat
How was 2018 for you? I hope you have had a year to remember!
Stephen Reads Books 