Throwback to my best posts of 2019

I have grouped together the top 5 posts from the 120 articles posted on my blog in 2019 for you to enjoy.

The Top 5 Best Blog Posts of 2019

img_9353

What Banned Books Week is all about

Posted:  10 June 2019 (123 views)

I love sharing posts on my blog written by other authors.  This one was by Fantasy author Andrew McDowell and is the most viewed post of the year!  Follow the link to the post to discover more about him and his books.

Please let me know if you would like to write a post for my blog. 

img_3919

Literary Dates Calendar

Posted:  8 January 2019 (57 views)

I am pleased this post was so popular as it took a long time to create and a lot of research.  I basically wanted to help other writers by creating a calendar with useful literary dates.  For example it has Twitter pitch events and book festivals.

This now has its own dedicated calendar page.  Click here.

img_5961

Handwrite to Boost Creativity

Posted:  25 February 2019 (45 views)

I used to always write my stories by hand but since going digital I don’t have as much need for a notebook. I still get an excited feeling when I see one and after an Instagram challenge to write somewhere different I  rediscovered my love of notebooks.

This post reflects on how writing by hand can boost your creativity and my own personal experience with this.

copy of copy of copy of fbf local writers

Writers Hashtags Collection

This series started in October through to November.  The fact it was posted towards the end of the year and still made the list shows how popular it has been.

The most popular in the collection was Part 6 (Insta Hashtags for Writers For Each Month) with 38 views.  I felt it would be more meaningful to give you the full collection rather than list all the parts below that made the top 5.

Writers Beware

Writers beware! Know who you are querying…

This post is a cautionary tale.  I always research who I am querying and spend a lot of time on it.  I know how exciting it can be to hear an agent or publisher are interested in your novel.  But check out who else they have signed and how their experience was.

There have been a few occasions I have felt the interested party may not be who they say they are and it feels like pop-up publishers are becoming more common.  I have spent years on my novel and refuse to sign with someone I don’t feel confident can deliver on their promises.  This is one of the reasons I have now chosen to self publish.

My About Me Page

During 2019, I wrote a blog post (About Me – Spring Clear). It was about making sure your About Me page is up-to-date on your website.  It is one of the first pages you crate and easy to forget about.

I was shocked how out of date mine was and wrote a post to help prompt other to update theirs too.  I’m glad I did.  My About My Page has had 79 views!

Guess what? I checked it when writing this post and it needs updating again!  If you haven’t checked your About Me page in a while, go check it out.  In the meantime, here is mine:  About Me (page)


Click my link tree to discover more ways to connect

@Redfae

 

Thank you to my followers

This month my blog reached 250 followers.
I am really proud of myself for keeping it going. Life with a newborn is super busy but I just try to write one or two articles a week. I easily could have let this go but since starting my blog I love it.
My blog is mainly about writing, sharing tips and my journey to publication. I also share some personal posts on my other interests (being a mum, organic beauty and Netflix recommendations).
I am so thankful for everyone who has not only taken the time to read my posts but to also subscribe to my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy my content.
My blog picture is from when I was modelling and taken by Natalie Collins (Instagram @neotheartist) who I hope to work with again one day. She is an amazing photographer and this shoot was extra special as I am wearing my wedding dress.

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2O4NnCq

Reflecting on 2018

The year is coming to an end and as I look back I am really pleased with what I have achieved.

What I used from 2017

I ended 2017 by reflecting on what I had learnt in my first year of blogging. 

When I look back at my Reflecting on 2017 post, I still use a lot of the tools and tricks I learnt in my first year of blogging. 

Things I no longer do is embed Instagram pictures within my blog posts as they no longer seem to work.  I also stopped using LoCal.

I am disappionted that I didn’t put what I learnt about creative writing into practice.  Writing blog posts feels easier than writing a novel as I can dip in and out more easily, whereas when I write a novel I like to get into the chapter and write a chunk – nowadays, I struggle to find the time for that.

Progress towards 2018 Goals

I have acheieved 82% of the goals I set at the start of 2018.  I’ve also achieved goals that I hadn’t anticipated such as article writing for an online magazine.  I particpated in NaPoWriMo (poetry writing) which is outside my confort zone and really stretched and challenged me.  I also hit my NaNoWriMo word count goal.

Personal life

I’ve also felt positive about my personal achievements this year.  I completed my CIPD HR Diploma which is a professional qualification.  I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Aria Rose. 

I’ve also been making the most of my materntiy leave by being actively involved in activities at my son’s school such as parent phonic classes and parent maths classes (so I can better support him with his homework).  I have also been making it to the Stay & Play sessions.  I am out attending groups with my baby and making new mum friends for her and we are currently doing baby massage classes together.  

I have really enjoyed including some blogs posts about my personal life and will continue to do so next year.

What is in store for 2019?

Well more personal posts for sure but I need to set some goals to get my focus back on my fiction writing as getting published is my lifelong ambition. Check back early January to see the goals I set to keep progressing.

If you have enjoyed this post, you may like:

Reflection on 2017

Goals for 2018

Reflecting on NaPoWriMo

NaNo Progress Diary (the end)


  if_twitter-01-01_3066980  if_instagram-01-01_3066990  if_youtube-01-01_3066976  if_g-01-01_3066962

Ally plus text