To be honest, I can't remember anything that happened in January! It was March that things really started to pick up. Well, not on here. I didn't really have much drive blog-wise back in March. This is what really set my year off with a bang.
**Added further news that's happened, but everything in blue is after New Years! I really wanted to post something before New Years and I did (in a massive rush) but I've missed a bit out! So everything in blue is me going back and adding :)
Where it all started:
Book Events:
So on the 6th March, I went to my first author signing. The most incredible experience I've ever had. I met Lauren Oliver and I was a ruined wreck, uncontrollably shaking even before she appeared. It was amazing. She is amazing and we were allowed to have a few minutes with her to talk about the Delirium series as well as get pictures!This was a trigger. After this event, I found myself checking book shops in London for different YA events and I just found myself hopping from event to event. Some author events I went to were just so out of the blue. The description said a YA author and I'd immediately jump at it. No doubt, I became a little obsessed. In October/September I went to four different events in three weeks!! It hit me bad.
I also found my going to not just author events talking about their novels but also events that are about the book industry as a whole. It was a real insight and everyone was super friendly as I "attempted" to mingle with everyone.
On top of that I volunteered to help a site called DivergentsUK - yep, I help on a Divergent fansite. I got to meet the owner, Rachel. You can read a round-up of the event by pressing the photo on the left. As well as meeting up with my booky friend who I made at the Waterstones talk with Maureen Johnson and James Dawson when I went to that event alone.
Online Happenings:
From the start of this year I occasionally blogged on and off, at the most a post per month. Probably only until September/October-ish did I really decide to give it another kick. Did an update post and created myself the twitter account @IHaveToRead_. I really didn't expect anything. But as soon as I started it up, I got this:
You should all go follow @IHaveToRead_ because she's new to Twitter and needs ALL THE FOLLOWERS!
— Lucy Powrie (@LucyTheReader) October 19, 2013
Uh. Then another.
Have you followed @IHaveToRead_ yet? She's new to Twitter and deserves lots of followers because she's so lovely!
— Lucy Powrie (@LucyTheReader) October 20, 2013
And slowly but surely I reached my 100 followers on twitter. What surprised me even more was when everyone else started saying hi to me too!
@IHaveToRead_ Good morning and welcome to Twitter :-)
— Nicola Hudson (@NicHudsonAuthor) October 20, 2013
@LucyTheReader Followed! Welcome to Twitter, @IHaveToRead_! :)
— Jesselle Villegas (@_jessellev) October 20, 2013
@IHaveToRead_ Hello!!!! Welcome to Twitter :-)
— Lisa M Forester (@lisamforester) October 20, 2013
I can't put everyone's tweet up but these were my first three, excluding Lucy's massive one. I'm still a bit confused on how I managed to get from 0 to 137, which is where I stand at the moment. I also want to thank all my followers, who've stuck with me through the weird tweets and just those I've interacted with, a special thank you to:
@HollyPeckitt
@Charli_TAW
@teenblurb_
@Yayeahyeah
@ChrissiReads
@VerbosityRevws
@TeaBetweenBooks
@LucyTheReader
@crystalbookland
@bfaot_blog
From everything from book blogging advice to random chatter :)
It's crazy how that every time I now tweet my blog links that someone ACTUALLY reads them! Like, word for word. Something even better that happened just today, I joined the list that Jim (@Yayeahyeah) made full of YA and MG Contemporary releases, which includes 24 other UK bloggers! It's a really nice boost of confidence in my writing especially because I don't like to share my work with any of my friends anyway!
And now I have to mention my two followers! (I have three followers but one of them is my sister so she doesn't really count, since in turn, I am following her food blog. Link here.) Anyway. BLOG FOLLOWERS! Was totally blown when I got an email saying I'd got followers. Direct blog followers! Seriously, Emmanuel and Beverley - thank you!
Phew, a lot of thank you's!
Personal happenings:
2013 also revealed to me what I want to do in the future. This year, I discovered what I want to do in the future after being a bit on the fence for quite some time. I was a bit nervous to tell my parents what I actually wanted to do. I initially wanted to go down the path of journalism, which I think they were more comfortable with me doing.
Creative writing, I know is risky, but is something that I am determined to crack and I can't wait to see what will happen next year (if and when I get all my replies from UCAS)
Another small boost on this route has been the fact that I entered my first writing competition and got into be a finalist. I had to read my piece out to a small audience but it was so much fun. Unfortunately I didn't win but after speaking to all the author judges (Holly Smale, C.J Daugherty and Sophia Bennet) it was really encouraging. - it was also a little awkward during that event because the other finalists were much younger than me...it must be my Asian-ness that made me young enough to fit in..
Now it's 23:50. 10 minutes til the New Year. I can't wait to see what next year has got planned.
Thank you to every single person,
Every reader,
See you next year!
Sabrina x
Thank you for the mention Sabrina.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! xx
Happy New Yeah! That's a year full of discovering huh? I know how you feel. Blogging has helped me figure out what I want to study as well :) Next year you'll find me at university studying English Language and Culture.
ReplyDelete2013 was crazy year, but super fun! Lets make 2014 even better shall we ;)