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Happy New Year, folks!
As usual, before sitting down to write this year's review, I took a quick look back on previous new year posts on here. There's a common theme through all of them: good bits, shitty bits, really shitty bits etc. I think it's life being life.
The year started well with a load of writing for fandom stocking. We had a great trip to Ireland caving at the end of April, but then life kicked us in the teeth with the rapid and unexpected loss of our beloved lurcher boy, Crisp, and he went to sleep in my arms in the garden at the vets, with Lady with us and Mr FB stroking him. We were all distraught. He was such a wonderful dog with so much love to give. We knew he'd had a good life, but that's small consolation when the grief is so raw.
For a couple of months I felt life was just barely worth living and I scared even myself with how close to the edge I went. When I saw my GP for urgent help, she put things into perspective with some well chosen words and I was sent away with permission to keep grieving but the advice that I was not to feel I was betraying Crisp by loving Trigger, his successor, who had come to us no more than two weeks after losing Crisp. She told me that in her view I didn't need more tablets, I just needed to let grief run its course. It was so strengthening to have had that conversation and it proved to me that 'talking therapies' can and do work. It was a turning point in the year for me and I started to cope better.
During the bad time, what got me through was the friends I've made through LJ who stepped in, ran![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
primeval_denial as the best and most effective 'collective' I've ever known in fandom and who kept me going by just being there for me when even sending an email and seeing anyone was too hard. So thank you, one and all!
As for the political situation in the UK, it's shittier than a very shitty thing that studied very shitty things at the university of Central Shit and came out with a PhD in shit. 'nuff said.
So, now to the writing.... I fell only just short of last year's total and managed 51,389 on fic (which was 34,589 on Primeval, 12,316 Tolkien stuff and 4,480 other stuff, which was Modesty Blaise and Musketeers). Looking back on the year I am so bloody chuffed with that! I also wrote 66,915 on book reviews.
The websites I'm involved in have gone from strength to strength, which again I'm really chuffed with and my caving club had the most brilliant centenary year. The big events I was involved with delivering were all fantastic thanks to many, many people helping, and I couldn't be prouder of the club and everyone I work with and what we've achieved on the websites.
So, what of the coming year? Despite the shit political situation I'm entering this decade with more hope than I've felt for ages that there is still good in the world and that ultimately thinks will get better.
I'm going to more of less repeat my closing paragraph from last year. I would like to write more. Fandom and writing is one of the things that helps me relax and helps keep the demons at bay. I'm going to continue with the drabble prompts at primeval100 and tolkien100 but I'm not setting myself any sort of goal beyond that. However, as fandom stocking isn't running this year, I would like to invite all of my LJ friends and readers to give me a pairing/character and prompt in any of my fandoms and I will write something for you. And this applies to readers as much as friends, as I got a massive boost to mental health and happiness today when someone I've never knowingly interacted with on LJ send me the loveliest PM about enjoying the OCs in the world I've created. I felt on top of the world reading that!
Thank you to all my LJ friends who have stuck with me through the past year. I value the friendship and support I've had from you all enormously, both on LJ and off it. Love you guys loads!!! And do start chucking those writing requests at me!
Here's to better times for all of us in 2020!
As usual, before sitting down to write this year's review, I took a quick look back on previous new year posts on here. There's a common theme through all of them: good bits, shitty bits, really shitty bits etc. I think it's life being life.
The year started well with a load of writing for fandom stocking. We had a great trip to Ireland caving at the end of April, but then life kicked us in the teeth with the rapid and unexpected loss of our beloved lurcher boy, Crisp, and he went to sleep in my arms in the garden at the vets, with Lady with us and Mr FB stroking him. We were all distraught. He was such a wonderful dog with so much love to give. We knew he'd had a good life, but that's small consolation when the grief is so raw.
For a couple of months I felt life was just barely worth living and I scared even myself with how close to the edge I went. When I saw my GP for urgent help, she put things into perspective with some well chosen words and I was sent away with permission to keep grieving but the advice that I was not to feel I was betraying Crisp by loving Trigger, his successor, who had come to us no more than two weeks after losing Crisp. She told me that in her view I didn't need more tablets, I just needed to let grief run its course. It was so strengthening to have had that conversation and it proved to me that 'talking therapies' can and do work. It was a turning point in the year for me and I started to cope better.
During the bad time, what got me through was the friends I've made through LJ who stepped in, ran
primeval_denial as the best and most effective 'collective' I've ever known in fandom and who kept me going by just being there for me when even sending an email and seeing anyone was too hard. So thank you, one and all!As for the political situation in the UK, it's shittier than a very shitty thing that studied very shitty things at the university of Central Shit and came out with a PhD in shit. 'nuff said.
So, now to the writing.... I fell only just short of last year's total and managed 51,389 on fic (which was 34,589 on Primeval, 12,316 Tolkien stuff and 4,480 other stuff, which was Modesty Blaise and Musketeers). Looking back on the year I am so bloody chuffed with that! I also wrote 66,915 on book reviews.
The websites I'm involved in have gone from strength to strength, which again I'm really chuffed with and my caving club had the most brilliant centenary year. The big events I was involved with delivering were all fantastic thanks to many, many people helping, and I couldn't be prouder of the club and everyone I work with and what we've achieved on the websites.
So, what of the coming year? Despite the shit political situation I'm entering this decade with more hope than I've felt for ages that there is still good in the world and that ultimately thinks will get better.
I'm going to more of less repeat my closing paragraph from last year. I would like to write more. Fandom and writing is one of the things that helps me relax and helps keep the demons at bay. I'm going to continue with the drabble prompts at primeval100 and tolkien100 but I'm not setting myself any sort of goal beyond that. However, as fandom stocking isn't running this year, I would like to invite all of my LJ friends and readers to give me a pairing/character and prompt in any of my fandoms and I will write something for you. And this applies to readers as much as friends, as I got a massive boost to mental health and happiness today when someone I've never knowingly interacted with on LJ send me the loveliest PM about enjoying the OCs in the world I've created. I felt on top of the world reading that!
Thank you to all my LJ friends who have stuck with me through the past year. I value the friendship and support I've had from you all enormously, both on LJ and off it. Love you guys loads!!! And do start chucking those writing requests at me!
Here's to better times for all of us in 2020!
