2024 in Review

Wow, this wasn't how I had imagined this post to be. I was originally going to post a Christmas-themed short story, but I never got around to writing the story. I really liked the plot, though, so don't worry--I'm still planning on writing it.

2024 went by so fast! It's like, where did the year go?!? I got a lot accomplished this year, though, so I'm going to share some of those things, plus some things I learned!

What I accomplished:

• Finished editing WtTE!

• Started a blog.

• Started writing consistently and wrote a lot more than I did last year.

• Wrote my first guest post! (https://writerlevens.wixsite.com/writing/post/advent-day-5-maya-pawley)

• Joined an anthology team.

Some Favorite Books I Read This Year

When 2024 started, I had a goal. That goal was to keep track of every single book I read. As you can imagine, I got carried away and forgot about that goal. However, there were some books I read that I would love to share!

1. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I had heard that this book was good, but I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. And let me tell you, it's AMAZING! I totally didn't expect all the plot twists and tension. It was really hard to put down!

   
   

2. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I found this at an old bookstore in Texas, and instantly seeing the title and knowing this book had been on my TBR for a longgg time, I had to buy it. Totally didn't regret it! It's an awesome, suspenseful book.

   
   

3. Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. For those of you who haven't read Do Hard Things, I highly recommend it!! It changed my life, literally :)

   
   

4. Dust and Shadow by Kara Swanson. Kara Swanson is definitely on my top list of favorite authors. Her writing is so good, relatable, and I can't believe I didn't pick up her books sooner. She's also such a sweet person!

   
   

Things I Learned

1. That yes, there are other young writers out there in the world. Before I joined the Young Writers Workshop, I had assumed that teenage writers were very hard to find. After all, most authors are in their forties- or at least, that's what I thought then. Little did I know how many young writers there were out there!

   
   

2. To show, not tell. This is very important in the story-telling world, and I've been trying to show more, not tell.

   
   

3. Writing consistently actually helps. People have always said that consistency is key. It's hard at first, but in the end the reward of writing consistently is amazing 😊

Some Highlights of 2024

These aren't writing-related, just some things I really enjoyed about this past year <3

1. I got to go to a few summer camps.

2. I made some awesome new friends!

3. Visited family in Texas.

4. Went to a Rend Collective concert.

5. Learned that God is always in control.

~*~

What were some of your favorite things about 2024? Did you complete any goals? Let me know in the comments below!

And Merry Christmas to everyone!!

~Maya