2018 Blog Roundup

On By K.M. Allan

Another year has passed, and as was the tradition of last year, my final blog for 2018 will roundup of some of your favorite posts, my favorite posts, and other writerly things I discovered throughout the year.

Your Favorite Blog Posts

Based on the stats in WordPress, these were the top five posts based on views and likes.

My Favorite Blog Posts

Here are five blogs I had fun writing.

The Blogs That Kept Me Entertained

I came across a lot of great new blogs this year and look forward to reading the posts of these bloggers every time they hit my inbox. If you’re not already following them be sure to check them out.

Off The Beaten Track – Run by Sandy Barker, a full-time author traveling around the world with a blog full of beautiful pictures and stories of adventure.

Caffeine and Writing Dreams – Madeline Bartson always has some excellent advice on getting yourself organized, reaching goals, and writing.

A Crack In The Pavement – Bryan Fagan fills his blog with writerly advice and spontaneous posts about anything and everything, usually connected to a nostalgic memory. He also loves tacos.

Nikky Lee – If you’re into world building and flash fiction, Nikky is your girl.

Novelty Revisions – If you’ve ever been plagued with self-doubt, or need a good dose of inspiration to keep you going, Meg Dowell will have a blog post to cover it.

Life Lessons

This year was a huge learning curve. It was this time last year I finished writing the fourth book in my YA series, all ready to start 2018 off by writing something new. Then I had some health issues, surgery, and a tough recovery. By the time I was ready to sit back at my keyboard, I was direction-less and void of inspiration.

I couldn’t write anything new, so I went back to book one, swapped it with some new betas, and realized it was nowhere near finished. I pushed through months of rewrites, editing, dips into self-doubt, and a moment where I seriously considered giving up, to finish the year with a draft I’m actually happy with and more than ready to send out on submission again.

If you’re feeling the same overwhelming doubts and wondering if you should keep writing, know you should and find the right people to help you. I wouldn’t be writing still if it wasn’t for Bryan Fagan, M.L. Davis, and Amelia Oz listening to me vent and helping me through the doubt. I also wouldn’t have such a strong draft if it wasn’t for their help, and the other wonderful betas/talented writers who suffered through my overuse of the word “that”. Thank you, Ruth Miranda, Julia Blake, Madeline Bartson, and Lorraine Ambers. I’m so grateful you agreed to cast your eyes over my terrible drafts.

A Year Of Firsts

In 2018 I became somewhat of a social butterfly—on the Internet at least—and did the one thing I declared I was too busy for and joined Twitter! (I’m also on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest). I also took part in a blog tag and a guest post.

Let’s Connect: Writer’s Tag – My first tag blog post.

Walking For Creativity – A guest post for Bryan while he got himself a new knee.

I also entered my first Manuscript Comp, Mentor Match, Pitch Wars, YA4YA Match, and two PitMad events. Nothing happened with any of them, but considering I’d never entered any type of competition, match or pitch event before (thank you, Imposter Syndrome), I’m proud of the fact I put my MS out there.

Invaluable Writing Help

When it came to improving my craft this year, the following books and podcasts were invaluable…

Books

Podcasts

And of course, I can’t forget to thank everyone who has visited my blog, liked my posts, left a comment, and shared my content. Writing can be so solitary, but finding other writers who feel the same way about typos, understand what it means to have your characters not talk to you, and know how amazing it feels when the words “just flow” can’t be taken for granted. Thank you, guys.

Here’s to more great connections and blog posts in 2019! Have a safe and happy New Year.

— K.M. Allan

23 thoughts on “2018 Blog Roundup”

  2. It’s been such a pleasure working with you, being friends and of course our endless jokes. You are an amazing writer and I am happy I could be a part of it. You have helped me as well and in 2019 I have no doubt I’ll bug you some more.

    Onward to 2019. I have a feeling it will be a special year.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Great post, Kate! It’s lovely to look back at some of your posts through the year, and your achievements throughout 2018. It’s been an absolute joy getting to know you better, and reading your work. I’m so certain 2019 will be a huge year, and look forward to working and supporting alongside you as we tackle this crazy journey ❤ 🙂 Have a very happy new year and thank you for all your support, via blog posts, emails and comments of encouragement xxx

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  8. Pingback: The Great 2018 Blog Experiment – Rust Belt Girl

  9. Happy New Year! (or, almost lol!) Thank you so much for the lovely shoutouts. ❤ I'm smiling so much right now. I loved finding your blog this year, and I also enjoyed reading your story. I always love reading what you have to say about writing on your blog — you're so knowledgable, and I know your mastery of the craft will get you far. 🙂 Best of luck in 2019!! I can't wait to see what you do.

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  10. Ruth Miranda

    my name’s up there!!! Thank you, but most of all, thank YOU for letting me read your novel, for introducing me to a story I find intriguing – AM STILL plagued for not knowing what happens next, so there you go! – and for putting up with my yellow notes which I realise must have been confusing and a horror to make sense of eheheheh. Most of all, thank you for being there and respecting my rants and my personality without the usual judgment others tend to cast upon this dark little soul of mine 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 😊 and all my thanks go to you, Ruth, for those yellow notes. You will eventually know what happens. My goal next year is to get books 3 and 4 ready for more betas to read. I love your rants and personality. Stay dark 😊.

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  11. Sounds like you’ve had a great year and I’ve loved reading your posts and sharing them on Twitter. I wish you all the best in 2019 and look forward to reading much more 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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