I’m not sure if a summary of 2020 is a good idea. Besides, Charlie Brooker’s show and Flo and Joan’s song sum it up far better than I could. So I thought I’d do something else.
Rather than dredging up a whole load of things we’re all perhaps taking a break from (I am currently floating in a cloud of denial, wine and sausage rolls), I thought I’d share my most-read blogs of the year.
Thanks to you lovely lot, there have been an awful lot of views of my posts this year. Maybe you’ve had more time thanks to this annoying pandemic, but whatever the reason, I appreciate it. So here, for your perusing pleasure, are my top 10 posts of the last twelve months. Enjoy!
10: This blog from 2015 which had a comment from the masterful Margaret Atwood. I have never felt so starstruck!
Does Margaret Atwood Get Depressed?
I really don’t know why Margaret Atwood never appeared on my reading radar for so many years. I only ended up reading The Handmaid’s Tale because I had to teach it for A Level. I’ve just finished reading Oryx and Crake. Another fantastic example […]
April 25, 2015June 2, 2017
9: This comes with an unreserved recommendation that you buy this book! Nikita Gill’s novel-in-verse has continued to play on my mind, and I’m glad you enjoyed my thoughts on perspective after reading it and watching her in conversation.
I just watched Nikita Gill perform some of her work, Maidens, Myths and Monsters and her novel in prose The Girl and the Goddess at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. […]
November 11, 2020December 5, 2020
8: A bit of a confessional here. I also very much appreciated the tips and advice that came from this piece! Shifting to memoir was proving a bit tricky, so here’s how I’ve been handling the difference between fact and fiction.
Having written nothing but fiction for many years, I find myself in the odd position of wiring an entire book about myself. One of the reasons I assumed memoirs and creative non-fiction weren’t for me was because I didn’t think I was doing much that people would want to read about. Two years ago, as […]
November 19, 2020December 5, 2020
7: Maybe a bit frivolous, but I’m pleased to see that my piece on what to wear while working from home struck a chord. I hope you’re making yourself look fancy on the odd occasion if you’re in the same boat.
As a lot of people are working from home, we’re in the strange position of being indoors, all the time. I’m also in the new situation of not going back to school in September. In light of these different circumstances, I have no idea what to wear. Like school uniform, the rules about what is […]
September 23, 2020September 30, 2020
6: I love this piece! Unfortunately childcare in lockdown meant I didn’t get to put myself in the shoes of as many amazing women as I’d hoped, but I loved wallowing in the skin of this particular lady to imagine what she might be feeling just before she did something that changed the course of history.
Like most people at the moment, I don’t know what to do. Scrolling through endless feeds and WhatsApp messages bring a strange feeling into my gut – helplessness. So many people working hard to help others, while I spend the day checking in online for my students or finding ways to amuse my toddler. Somehow, […]
March 27, 2020June 21, 2020
5: Another powerful read to go with this one. Such a gorgeous collection of flash fiction and I’m glad you enjoyed hearing about how the brilliant Laura Besley produces such wonderful words.
Flash Fiction and Motherhood with Laura Besley
The Almost Mothers by Laura Besley made me cry. Several times. In pitch-perfect vignettes she explores everything from early motherhood to self-doubt to infertility. Her light touch and poignant stories meant I have already read it twice and would quite happily sit down and read it again. […]
December 12, 2020January 9, 2021
4: One of the positives to come out of this dreadful year have been the connections I’ve made with other writers. So pleased that you all liked hearing about Liz Champion and her wonderful writing as much as I did.
Guest Post: Liz Champion and Writing ‘Slice of Life’
Liz Champion is a writer, teacher, and communications specialist from Yorkshire. She writes a Slice of Life blog about the highs and lows of her everyday life. Her first book, Cake, anyone? Scenes from everyday life in extraordinary times is out now. […]
December 2, 2020December 5, 2020
3: One of the first posts after I launched my new site, here I am mulling over my reasons for the massive shift I decided to make in a very uncertain year.
Why I Quit My Job in the Middle of a Pandemic
I came back from the wilds of Scotland a couple of weeks ago to find my P45 in the post. Quite a contrast – from a wind-battered climb up a very big hill (my legs thought it was a mountain) with sweeping views of lochs, hills and (possibly?) eagles swooping overhead to my tiny corner desk. […]
September 14, 2020September 23, 2020
2: Some pretty mad stuff happened in my life this year. So many of you wanted to read about how I was managing to get started with my new business, definitely a change!
Getting Started With Writing As A Business
It’s hard not to cut the year into academic slices. I’ve spent so many years being regimented by the bell, the term, the holidays of school, I’m still thinking in chunks of time. For that reason, this weekend marks the first half term of starting my own business as a writer and creative […]
October 25, 2020November 9, 2020
1: I’m so glad this was the most popular post of the year. A rushing torrent of words that came to me when I started thinking about the things that stood in my way as a writer and how my start in life affects what I write.
What Being A Working-Class Writer Means To Me
It’s nothing about money and it’s everything about money. It’s eating arctic roll and thinking Vienetta is a fancy pudding and having your Christmas presents put into a large box to make them feel more special. It’s thinking fish only comes with chips or in a frozen rectangle with a packet of parsley sauce. It’s […]
October 14, 2020October 25, 2020
And there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed the round up of the most popular posts and that you enjoy scrolling through them. Thanks for your visit and I look forward to sharing more with you next year.
Happy New Year
Sarah x
#2020 #review #feature #creativity #blogposts #creativeliving
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