Today marks a year since I posted my first blog, so it’s time to review progress. In my first year, I wrote 42 posts and nearly 30,000 words. Here are some highlights from The Winding Narrative:
- I celebrated a win in my writing journey when I signed with Michael Cybulski of NAC, see Five Reasons to Sign With a Literary Agent.
- My top viewed blog was: The Book Publishing Flowchart.
- The most popular blog (based on likes on the blog site) was tied between The Writer’s Hour and The Pros and Cons of Writing Memoir.
I roughly followed the chronology of my writing journey, but I deviated along the way to share writing tips such as My Top Four Editing Tips and Engineering the Story—How to Write a Novel in 80 Days. I interviewed people who had their own winding narrative, with changes in career or country, such as Kirsten Alexander, Novelist and Founder of Storymart and Susan Bradfield: From Physiotherapist to Photographer. I also shared some of the fun we’ve had in the country town of Mansfield with The Case of the Mysterious Rose Saboteur and Alone at Mansfield.
The chronology began with Baby Steps and the promise to share my writing journey, in particular trying to understand The Value of Failure. I stepped back nearly two decades to describe my first attempt at a novel, 29 Brown St. My writing really took off in Lagos, where we established the Ishahayi Beach School Foundation, which published the anthology, Nigerian Gems. I then fell in love with Salsa, which led me to write Music & Dance on the Lagoon. My family and I were transferred to Houston just before my second show in Lagos was produced, but in A Week in Lagos, I flew back for the performance.
In the blog this year, I plan to pick up where I left off and describe the shows I wrote and the school productions I directed while living in the US. I’ll continue to share writing tips, interviews and snippets of life in Mansfield.
Please let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to hear about or if you’d like to share your own winding narrative and feature in an interview. I look forward to another fun year of tips and tales.
Next time: Author JJ Campbell tells us How JJ Campbell Reclaimed Her Voice
Next writing blog: The Perfect Time to Write
Next year: The Winding Narrative Turns Two
Brightside Story Studio 
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