Dear Fellow Children’s Writers and friends,

What word would you use to describe your 2019? Hopefully some variation of ‘good’, although realistically I know this cannot have been the case for all of you and I can only hope that 2020 is kinder to those of you who didn’t have the best 2019. For me, I would have to say my word for 2019 has been full!

Full of work, both writing (unpaid) and teaching (I’m a casual, so this varies) not to mention home, family and community work too!

Full of learning and growth, full of friends

and books.

Full of illness, no photo, who wants that? I had the flu shot for the first time this year and that coupled with a longstanding and possibly *ahem somewhat neglected *ahem condition left me riding an exhaustion vs determination rollercoaster. ‘Who can afford to be sick, there’s too much life I need to be living right now?’ (New attitude, possibly a result of a double figure birthday last year) Full of family. Full of opportunity and full of gratitude and determination to make 2020 even better, but perhaps a little less frustrating.

To enable this, I’m completing Julie Hedlund’s #12daysofChristmas again this year as and for the first time Leonie Dawson’s #MyShiningYear2020Life Workbook (pic) to give thanks and let go of 2019 and welcome in dreams, goals and plans for 2020. I came up with two full pages of Successes in my 12 Days of Christmas reflection and although these are only meant to be writing related, I’m adding in a couple of non-writing related ones and not sharing the whole detailed list, because as I said, 2019 has been fabulously, frustratingly, fantastically, ‘familialy’, fatiguingly, festively full!

ATTENDED/ COMPLETED ONLINE

3 writing festivals (one online)

3 plays/musicals/concerts

5 Courses (one a mini course)

at least 10 book launches

JOINED

Emerging Writer’s Group at The Children’s Bookshop, which was so full of wonderful speakers, camaraderie, ambition, assistance, critiquing and opportunity to meet and possibly even make some wonderful contacts within the industry.

4 writing related Facebook Groups

PRESENTED (pic)

A short speech at the CKT Festival about the CKT Critique Group

A workshop on Junior Fiction at Eastwood/Hills FAW for which I also set and judged the monthly competition

The words of Western Sydney Writers, myself included, over a megaphone as part of Hasta Bella Vista by Tina Havelock-Stevens

My poem, Hope at ZineWest Word

SUBMITTED

18 mss (some to more than one publisher) received interest in 4 of these

At least 8 of these for critique or ms assessment at CKT Critique group, FAW EWG and with the wonderful Amelia McInerney who I cant recommend enough for her thorough, insightful, accurate, positive and reasonably priced assessment service

2 grant applications for myself and assisted in the preparation of one for our Duckie leader, Jen Storer

MODERATED

The Duck Pond Facebook group with the help of my five other ‘Mods’ colleagues

ENTERED

6+ competitions (didn’t keep track, whoops 😬)

PARTICIPATED IN

52 Week Picture Book Challenge 2019-2020 completing about 3/4 of prompts so far

COMPLETED

2018 12 Days of Christmas

52 Week Picture Book Challenge 2018-2019 with 52 new PB stories or fleshy ideas under my belt! Woohoo!

CRITIQUED

At least 10 CKT Critique Group stories and many more at EWG and FAW

HOSTED

With the help of my incredible family, hosted 52 family and friends at our house, plus teed up OS calls for my Dad’s 90th birthday!

Christmas for a much smaller portion of the extended family just 4 days later exhausted 😴

OFFERED

A new (paid) position as Sacramental Coordinator in my Parish

The opportunity to write a spiel about the benefits of being part of the Duck Pond and learning from Jen Storer. Now up on her website as part of the testimonials for the courses she offers

MET/REACQUAINTED WITH

many cousins and old family friends, Parish families,

many, many writers and professional authors

CREATED

A new way of presenting my work at Festivals, courses and the like

BOUGHT

Far too many medications, clothes…. and books….. if there is such a thing 😉

Well that’s it for me, for 2019 fellow travellers. Wishing you a full, productive, happy, hopefully cooler and wetter, fulfilling 2020!

Savour the quest,

Journeygirl