Hello everyone,
We are not only reaching the end of another year, but also the end of a decade.
It feels like the time has moved along very quickly, but as I look back now I realise that an incredible amount has happened in my life in the last 10 years. Lots of good things, some sad. But it has moved in some unexpected directions, which proves that you never know what life can throw at you.
Back in 2010, I was at school and still over a year away from sitting my GCSE exams. Some respectable grades and two A-Levels later, I eventually – after a period of difficulty – began working as a university administrator. I became an adult and have now been there for nearly five years, gaining skills I never expected, learning so much and making lots of fantastic friends along the way.
This was also the decade where I became a writer. In addition to having numerous articles published online and in magazines, I have written two non-fiction books (one a self-published pet project, the other an unpublished biography), and have now begun to attempt novel writing.
And of course, I have become a book blogger! This is one of the things that I am most thankful for from the last decade, and I hope to continue for many years to come. Ten years ago, I could not have predicted the extent to which writing would become such a huge part of my life.
But anyway, this post is all about 2019, so let’s look back and see how this last year has turned out for me…
Writing
In terms of writing, this was a bit of an up-and-down year for me. I have made efforts to publish my previous WIP which I finished editing back in March, but so far with no success. I plan to make more of a sustained effort towards that in 2020.
In the meantime, I have begun to try my hand at creative writing, having previously lacked the confidence and perhaps even the imagination. My current WIP is a mystery novel containing two separate POVs, which currently stands at about 25,000 words. I know that some aspects of it need work, but so far I am happy with how it’s going.
During the summer I was working on something else, but decided to put that to one side after getting 15,000 words in. I may return to it someday, but once I came up with the idea for my current WIP it felt like a much better project. I feel like I will have a much clearer focus for my writing in 2020, so am excited to see what happens.
Reading
As I write this post I have read 57 books and am hoping to read another by the end of the year, which is a total I am quite happy with. My Goodreads target was 50, which I managed to reach in October, and I have also achieved my other goal of trying to read a wider variety of genres.
In 2018, a large percentage of the books I read were mysteries and thrillers, but this year I have become an avid fan of historical fiction, and also dipped into genres such as dystopia and fantasy more frequently. My next aim is to read a greater amount of books containing diversity, and have made a decent start on that front.
Some of the books that I read at the beginning of 2019 were slightly hit-and-miss, but since April I have been lucky to discover some fantastic reads which rank among my all-time favourites. I found time for a reread of Harry Potter during the summer, and did four buddy reads with book blogging friends.
Blogging
It has been an absolutely magnificent year for me in terms of blogging! I cannot believe how much confidence I have gained during the last twelve months, in which I have made a whole load of incredible new friends, and posted a range of bookish content that, looking back, I am very happy with.
Either side of a two-month hiatus in the summer (which I badly needed!), I was pleased to post a range of discussions, poems, tags, wrap-ups, and other post series – and 20 posts for the month of December. But my favourite posts are my book reviews, which I feel like I’ve become better at writing this year. They still stress me out sometimes, but I have found a structure that works well for me.
I rarely talk about stats, but I began the year having just reached 250 followers, and am now at about the 750 mark, which is well beyond my wildest expectations. As early as March, my stats for 2019 had exceeded the total for the whole of 2018, and my blog has grown massively. I am exceptionally grateful to the community for that, and in particular Dave @ The Write Reads.
My most popular post of the year was a discussion about how The Write Reads has helped me as a blogger, and I was overwhelmed by the response it received. Dave has helped so many book bloggers like me during 2019 with his support and dedication, so he deserves all the appreciation going.
Life
Outside of work and blogging, this has been one of the most challenging years of my life because of frequent health issues. In February I began suffering from a bowel condition, and although it is manageable, ever since then I have rarely felt 100% and that has had an occasional impact on my mental health.
But otherwise, things seem to be going quite well. As I type I am getting closer to moving house, and in 2019 I enjoyed a couple of memorable holidays. In May I climbed to the top of Mt. Snowdon in Wales, which was a very long and enjoyable walk. Two months later I spent a beautiful few days in Cornwall.
I feel like I did a lot of things in 2019, from starting to learn the piano to becoming a member of the National Trust, but I am aiming for in 2020. I would like to do more travelling and learn new skills. I must also mention the clubs I support in football and cricket – they all had a very successful year!
Let’s Chat
How was your 2019? Let me know in the comments!
Have an amazing 2020!
Stephen Reads Books 