Okay so I know we’re more than a week into the New Year but I let it go by without really taking a moment to be proud of myself for my little accomplishments within the inconsequential social construct of the calendar year, so here you go. I know everyone hates these self-congratulatory posts, but as I use my blog mostly for future-me to look back on (like a public, creative, diary), I’ll share this here.

Writing Accomplishments

I finished writing, then edited Brew Books. This was on my list of goals for the year, so that’s pretty great. Writing a book is tough, and this one took years, but I got there.

Then, in a super exciting turn of events, I signed with Wattpad to be 1 of 20 English writers to launch the Wattpad Next program. You can see how I got picked up by Wattpad here.

I also completed NaNoWriMo this year with a hot mess of a fantasy novel that desperately needs some attention, but I’m so excited about it.

Travel accomplishments

Okay, maybe accomplishment is the wrong word, but I like ticking off countries on the list, and in 2018 I ticked off 4 brand new countries. I visited Albania, Canada, Greece and Hungary for the very first time. I also visited NYC for the first time. Plus I popped down to Australia again (for the first time in 3 years!). I focused a lot more on quality and less on quantity for my travels in 2018, with bigger, more expensive trips, rather than short and cheap trips that I’ve done in the past.

Reading accomplishments

I read 51 books in 2018, which was awesome! That’s the most books I’ve read in years, and it’s completely down to the fact that I actually pushed myself to read in my spare time – on my morning commute, sometimes on my lunch breaks, and before I went to bed.