Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay image. Book cover shots from Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books. Many thanks to Lynn Clement, Paula Readman, and Penny Blackburn for images from the Bridge House Publishing Celebration Event and The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick held earlier this year. Other images and screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.
It is hard to believe, sometimes at least, just how quickly another year has gone by. I make a point of taking some time out to review how my writing year has gone and what I’d like to see happen in the next one. I’ve found writing things down for this makes it more likely I will take at least some steps to try and achieve what is on my writing wish list.
I see it as making a commitment to my writing. Naturally in every writing year there are ups and downs. Also opportunities come along which you may not have expected but it’s a good idea to take some time out to take stock. Sometimes in looking back, I’ve found I’ve achieved more than I thought. That’s an instant morale booster!
So what would I say were the highlights of my 2025 writing year?
Publication News
The big news was accepting and returning the contract to Bridge House Publishing for my third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side, due out in May 2026.
Secondly, my story, The Family Legend, was accepted for Magi, An Anthology again published by Bridge House.
Thirdly, part of my third book was serialised on CafeLit from early July to the end of September and that was a first given I’ve not had anything serialised before.
Fourthly, at the ripe old age of 59, I found I was on the cover of Writers’ Narrative (October 2025). I never expected to be a cover girl. The in-depth interview with Wendy H Jones where I could share my love of flash fiction and short stories was wonderful too.
https://issuu.com/scottandlawson/docs/writers_narrative_october_2025_issue
Last but not least, I’ve had flash work broadcast again. More on that in a moment.
Promises to Myself
I wanted to enter more story competitions this year and I have done that. Okay, I would’ve liked to have won some or have been listed but the simple fact of just entering these things has made me be more productive with my writing, which I have welcomed. There is something about having to meet a deadline which spurs me on.
I also wanted to continue to develop my work on my YouTube channel and website and have done the former. My website could probably do with refreshing but that I think now is something to look at in the New Year. Certainly I will need to update it when my third book comes out in any case.
I have continued to love working on Writers’ Narrative both in writing articles and being copy editor. If you click on the October 2025 magazine link above, you will find in the magazine a separate subscriber link. The good news is the magazine is free to subscribe to and I heartily recommend it. Okay I’m biased, but I’ll recommend it anyway!
Other Developments including The Unexpected
I work as an editor as well as a writer and, as well as being freelance, I also carry out some editing work for a small independent press. I was delighted to catch up with Lynn Clement, whose collection The City of Stories I edited for Bridge House Publishing, at the recent celebration event. But another book I edited for them made its way out into the world earlier this year and it was great to see that happen. I’m also currently working on a two book contract. I’ve returned one book and am now working on the second. I am loving the work.
I was sorry to hear this was the last year for Flash NANO. This was the short form writer’s equivalent of NaNoWriMo. Instead of writing so many words by the end of November, with Flash NANO you are given a prompt daily for the thirty days of November. Thirty prompts led to thirty new stories being drafted over at least the last three years. Some of those stories will be in my third book. Others have appeared online. I wouldn’t have written them without Flash NANO.
I continue to write 100 word stories most weeks for Friday Flash Fiction and love the challenge of this. My stories don’t always appear here (but I’d say I probably have a 90%+ hit rate here, which naturally pleases me). If you like the very short form, do check the website out. The stories are always an entertaining read.
I’ve acted as a story judge this year again (for Friday Flash Fiction) and will be a co-judge on another competition for a writing group in the New Year. This is always an interesting task because it makes you think about your own writing and why you write as you do. There is always something to learn from that.
I had to change email newsletter provider earlier this year as Mailchimp stopped running the free to use plans. I am now with MailerLite. It was a bit of a learning curve to get used to the new system but have got there and am finding advantages to the new provider I didn’t have with the old one, which includes such simple things as being able to schedule my newsletters. I would have had to pay for that with Mailchimp though I guess starting with them did get me used to the whole idea of writing author newsletters.
I run a flash fiction group online for the Association of Christian Writers and that continues to go well. Four of us, including me, had festive flash fiction broadcast on the Three Minute Santas show hosted by Hannah Kate on North Manchester FM on Saturday 13th December 2025. Do take a listen – link below. First link takes you to the show itself. The second link shows you more background information about the show. The range of stories was fabulous. Festive flash is great fun to write and the radio show is a lovely way to share stories at a dark and damp time of year. Instant cheer, I hope.
Getting Out and About
As well as the recent Bridge House event, I naturally went to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick (and I hope to launch my third book there next year). I also went to an in person event from the Association of Christian Writers. I loved all three events. I would like to get to the Hampshire Writers’ events but unfortunately they are held on a night when I’m already committed elsewhere. It is the way of it, I guess.
Chandler’s Ford Today Interviews
A huge thank you to all I’ve interviewed here this year. It has been great fun to host you here and I’ve alway found you can learn a lot from such interviews. I know I continue to do so. I hope there will be plenty more to come next year. There has been a good range of fiction covered here too. I hope to repeat that next year.
Conclusion
Overall, it has been a great writing year. Consistency matters, I think. Even more important is enjoying what you do writing wise (at least most of the time). Why put yourself through the trials of writing, editing, submitting etc unless you do enjoy the work? As a reader, I think it shows when an author loves what they write. I think you do pick up a “vibe” here.
I don’t make New Year Resolutions. They remind me of my late mother’s comment that “promises, like pie crusts, are made to be broken” so I don’t go there at all. Setting goals and doing your level best to achieve them is another matter though.
Now I’m taking a short Christmas break so this will be my last post here for 2025. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I look forward to being back on Chandler’s Ford Today in early 2026.
See you then! Meantime I hope you enjoy the following video. I love quirky writing.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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