Farewell 2025, I won't miss you.

In 2025, writing has been the light; the enjoyment; the escape for me, in what has been a particularly heartbreaking year.

In my final blog post for 2025, I want to push aside the dark and focus on the ‘light’ - what went well, what I celebrated, and whether I achieved the goals I set at the beginning of the year.

Word of the year - 'SLOW'

It was perfect. Exactly what I needed for 2025. Slow lifted the pressure, gave me room to breathe and permission to just ‘not’. I'll be embracing slow until the second hand clicks over to midnight on the last day of this year.

Writing Away

I was lucky to have two opportunities during the year to go away, and indulge in all things writing:

• The Romance Writers of Australia annual conference

• Retreat with Meg

Check out my September and October blogs, by clicking on these links, for more about each of these wonderful experiences.

2026 Day-to-a-Page Diary Success

For those of you in diary turmoil, like me, at the end of my November blog The Diary Dilemma, I’m sorry to have left you with such uncertainty. The good news is that I made a trip into the city to check out the stationer Bespoke Press, tucked away in The Strand Arcade, Sydney CBD. It was my last hope... and a complete success. Their 2026 day-to-a-page diary is perfect!

My 2025 Writing Goals

This is the final check-in. So, how did I go?

✏️ Goal 1. Rewrite MS1 ‘The Beach’ by June 30.

In sticking to my decision to go ‘slow’ I took a break from this MS, it’s held my attention on and off for years through many drafts, feedback and rewrites. So, although the beta readers' feedback required addressing, I needed time to think about how to proceed and skill-up in the areas that needed more work.

By September, I was ready to work on it again. I joined the Write Till Christmas (WTC) crew and set a goal of editing and polishing 15 chapters. To prepare, I laid out each chapter in a Plot Grid, and by the time I reached the start line on October 1, I was ready to edit and polish, in a ‘slow’ manner - not moving on to the next chapter until I was entirely happy with the current (and previous ones). Happy to say, a day before Christmas I reached my WTC goal!

✏️ Goal 2. Complete a first draft of MS2 ‘The Garden’ by June 30.

Tick. This was my 2024 Write Till Christmas project and after it finished, I kept going and completed a first draft.

✏️ Goal 3. Continue posting my monthly blog here.

Tick.

✏️ Goal 4. Enter at least three writing competitions

Tick. I entered six writing competitions, a few of those are still being judged. Some of the ones I entered (The RWA and RWNZ competitions) provided feedback on my entries, which was incredibly useful, and a big part of why I enter competitions.

I’ve already selected my word for next year and am listing out my writing goals. Every year, there's more and more I want to do. Maybe 2026 will be an easier year on my head and my heart, and the year I do it all!