Happy New Year

 

So the last day of 2013 is here and it’s time to let go some of the old memories and welcome a new year by opening our arms wide, a la SRK style. 2013 has been a very hectic year for me, juggling with multiple roles in my life and trying to squeeze in some precious “me” time in between the entire hullabaloo happening in my life. But every cloud has its own silver lining. The good thing about being so busy is that the year zoomed past me and before I know it we are already at the threshold of a brand new year.

2013 was a good year for me in terms of blogging and writing. When I started the year, I wished that I would blog more often, read more and interact more with bloggers. And I have been successful in my endeavors to some extent. The frequency of my posting has increased and I sincerely hope that I can write as often as now, in the next year too. I published 110 posts this year and that’s a decent number (I hope!). I aim to write more fiction posts in the coming year.

I started 2013 fiction posts with a thriller/suspense story of "The Voices" which received good feedback among  Blogaton members. I also tried my hand at humor with "A Man for One Day" which was also selected for one of the weekly features at Half Baked Beans Publishing House.

And then came one of my first successes in the blogging world. "To be a Woman" was selected as one of the most impactful entry on International Women’s Day on March 8^th at Indusladies. Needless to say I was ecstatic and proud of my little victory.

My post Woman of Substance  also won a contest at Blogadda.

In May one of my short story, “The Hike to the Temple” was published in an anthology of short stories, Kaleidoscope, where I shared the platform with 25 other talented and wonderful authors. It was a long-cherished dream come true for me and one of the most happiest moments of my life.

And then my post , for the Tresemme contest at Indiblogger, won the first place and I was truly feeling lucky. A little whimsical part in me had always wanted to win some fancy gadget and my wish was fulfilled when I received a Samsung Tab in the contest. 

If I were to select my favorite post in the past year, then it has to be the short story “The One Last Hug”  which was written straight from the heart , when I missed talking to my mother.

I’m also proud of the fact that in between my hectic schedule I managed to read and review 24 books in a span of a year. And although my original goal was to complete 30 books, I’m still happy about my achievement.

 

Goodreads Challenge

Every post of mine reflects the mood that I face, the emotions that I feel when I write. It’s something that I’m yet to rid myself from- to detach my personal feelings from the words that I write. But some would say that it’s good, you need to feel what you write. And some would counter argue saying one has to be impersonal to depict each character and the varied emotions in a story. It’s an argument that has no perfect solution.

I don’t believe in resolutions, but I hope and pray that whatever 2014 holds for me, at the end of the year I don’t want to have regrets, I want to be happy and proud of my work. If I had to implore God and request him to make at least one of my dreams come true this year, then it would be my novel getting released and reaching the bestseller list. But for that, I need time, I need patience, I need fortitude to make myself sit and write! Sigh!

Happy New Year folks and see you on the other side of the New Year!