More of the same, please, but with nicer politics via @Annecdotist

More of the same, please, but with nicer politics

31/12/2016

We approach the New Year as if we’re trading in the old one for a better model, but it’s not like replacing a car. Or if it is, it’s with the old car rusting in the garage while we’re driving around in the new one, hoping the weather won’t tarnish its shine. Alas, a change of digit won’t cancel out our bad decisions – I’m looking at you Brexit and Trumpeteers – but it can provide the impetus to strive to fail better next time. While I think it’s weird that the traditional time for taking stock and recalibrating our intentions for the future should be now – rather than synchronised with the winter solstice the first day of spring (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) – I am sufficiently obsessional to join in.

All in all, it’s been a good year for me personally and professionally in my reading, writing and blogging. Here, in pictures (with links), are some of the highlights:

For next year, I’d be happy with more of the same (but with nicer politics). Specifically, I’m looking forward to the release of my second novel, Underneath, in May, with a couple more library events in Derbyshire for Sugar and Snails before the end of the current financial year. I want to pick up again on the article writing course which was part of my prize for the Writers’ Bureau Short Story Competition and has been shamefully neglected. I also have in mind at least five new short stories I want to write, as well as pulling a few together for a possible anthology loosely on the theme of identity. I want to move forward with Closure, perhaps completing a fourth draft but, if not, certainly a third. In my reading, I aim to monitor the proportion from small independent publishers. Finally, I hope to keep up with the weekly flash fiction challenges.

Over at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills is talking both taking stock and hygge. The latter, a Danish term which conjures cosy, has captivated a fair few English-speaking thinkers in 2016 and now comprises the prompt for my final 99-word story of the year. I think we need a concept of home to appreciate hygge; my flash is for the introverts too:

Yay, the party has been cancelled!

“You’re still welcome to come over, but I wouldn’t advise it. The roads are treacherous around here.”
Fog shrouds the window; inside, disappointment burns. Home alone on New Year’s Eve! Ah, well, I could use the time to write that article, scrub the kitchen floor.
In fluffy slippers, jogging pants and the blouse I ironed for the party, I dance between cooker and fridge. I pour a glass of Prosecco; a soup made of leftovers bubbles on the stove. Rolls crisping in the oven, the final challenge looms. Which book to snuggle up to, which chocolates to eat first?

14 Comments

geoff le pard link

1/1/2017 10:17:48 am

Happy new year Anne and here's to successful book publishing. And more thought provoking posts. And yes nicer more long term thinking politics... oh well I can dream

Annecdotist

2/1/2017 04:06:24 pm

Thanks, Geoff, of course I’m not expecting nicer politics but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like them!

Norah Colvin link

1/1/2017 12:27:04 pm

Happy 2017, Anne. I'm pleased you are happy with your wonderful achievements in 2016. I love the way you organised your photo gallery with the captioned explanations.You did very well. Looks like 2017 will give you continued success. I guess that will only be as a result of the effort you put in though. It won't really be a gift as such.
I've been struggling with the concept of cosy as we swelter in summer's heat, so I enjoyed reading your flash. What a wonderful picture it creates and how well I understand the joy at the cancellation of an engagement - not all, of course, but sometimes. Curling up with a good book is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Or days. How I remember that pleasure!

Annecdotist

2/1/2017 04:10:11 pm

Thank you, Norah, I really enjoyed putting the post together but of course it took a lot longer than expected – what doesn’t? Well, I expect to have to work hard but there’s also a lot of luck – as I’ve written about before – and I wouldn’t say no to a little more, but I do appreciate what I have.
Oh yes, it must be hard to think of hygge in midsummer, although I imagine your morning swims are quite relaxing. I look forward to seeing what you come up with for the prompt.

Rowena link

2/1/2017 01:48:40 pm

Happy New Year Anne.
I am desperately trying to make a fresh start in 2017 and trying to be more organized with the rest of my life which get overrun by my writing. No more forgetting this year.
I'm an extrovert but I've lost the thrill of heading into the city these days on NYE. Not the best night for it anymore.
My wisdom for 2017 came from a collection of quotes from many of the inspirational people who died last year. I thought you might appreciate it, given your own reflections. Good luck with the books.
xx Rowena
https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/goodbye-2016-the-words-they-left-behind/?wref=tp

Annecdotist

2/1/2017 04:14:28 pm

Thanks for visiting Rowena, and I enjoyed your tributes post. I wish you all the best with your fresh start but it’s not so easy to achieve. That’s why I prefer aspirations to resolutions – and those I’ve flagged here ought to be achievable.

sarah link

3/1/2017 10:02:07 pm

Ha! It's not like replacing a car. No, it's really not. Excellent year for you, politics aside. :-) I'm fairly sure winter solstice is the first day of winter, technically, but it does usher in more light daily and would be a great time to begin the new year. I like that idea.

I love your flash (both the story and the idea of it actually happening). :-) It's a dream come true for me! Happy New Year!

Annecdotist

4/1/2017 11:45:50 am

Thanks, Sarah, and happy New Year. It does amaze me that some grown-ups still set themselves resolutions that, on the basis of past performance, they have little chance of achieving, unless they put in lots of structures to make that change. But pointing ourselves in the direction we’d like to travel makes sense for me.

Charli Mills link

5/1/2017 02:33:44 am

I rather like the winter solstice time for recalibration because of the return of light to days. I don't know about those politics on your side of the pond, but our Trumpeteers have settled in to be thorny. At least they are predicable now exposed in their true sentiment. I feel stronger for having had a faltering year of displacement. I'm encouraged by all your success and plans for continuing. Fabulous collage! I hope you print that and hang it over your desk. Wishing you quiet space to choose your choice of chocolates!

Annecdotist

5/1/2017 04:14:14 pm

Thanks, Charli, now you’ve got me thinking – I could make a giant poster if I had the right kind of printer! Glad you’re feeling revived and hope your personal year isn’t as thorny as the last though I can’t imagine the politics getting hygge for a while on either side of the pond.

Luccia Gray link

5/1/2017 08:16:52 pm

Fabulous, Anne. I know exactly how she (you?😂) feels! I have to make an effort to be sociable because although I love being with my friends and family, a cosy evening alone beats anything else!

Annecdotist

6/1/2017 12:09:25 pm

Thanks, Lucy, I think it’s often difficult to strike the right balance between sociability and aloneness, especially if the invitations come together, so it can feel like a gift when things get cancelled.