2021 year in review + Help Indited Fiction Grow!
Updated: May 22, 2022
Indited fiction need's your help this new year 2022!
As you all know, I'm Christina, the writer behind the blog! I've been at this for more than a year, and I've watched this website grow along along with myself. Writing articles for all of you inspired me in my writing journey, It taught me as much as I know now and I've gained so much insight to the aspects of writing from when I had begun. As you all know, it was never until I started this website when I wrote my first book, and now I'm on my third! This website was the reason I , and many other aspiring writers, began their creative journey through storytelling, and my one goal for 2022 is to inspire more writers and reach more creatives. My only dream is for others to see how much it has helped me and how much it can help them! I'm always creating free resources for all of you, a podcast where you can listen to some of the best blog-posts AND a book club to share your book recommendations! I have planned so much more for the coming year and with your help, it can reach the right people!
What's included in this post?
What can you do?
Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can be apart of Indited fiction and help us grow!
You can guest-post your articles and get it featured on the blog and get the title of blog writer
Here at Indited Fiction we have a lot of Guest-posting and advertising space available! If you feel like we haven't covered a specific aspect for writing you're an expert at, or if you have some writing advice that worked for you, or you want to promote yourself or your writing... Then this is exactly what you can help in! We accept originally scripted articles and advertisements which can get featured all over the website (and the podcast!) If you feel like you could really add on to the blog and/or want to get your works featured here: Take a look at our guidelines!
*If you do submit an article to be featured you automatically get the title of 'Blog Writer' and your name will come at the bottom of your post!*
2. You can get your testimonial featured on our HOME PAGE!
If you have something positive to share, or something you noticed that was amazing on our site, or something you loved while working with me... Then this is exactly what you can help in! Write a short paragraph on what you enjoyed about our site/ working with us and get it featured on eth FRONT PAGE of our website! It'll be showcased for all readers, new and old, to see! Of course, the testimonials will also be featured all over the website, in the blog, podcast, book clubs and any new implements in the future! It will also be broadcasted on all of Indited Fiction's social media and will be used in newsletters and communications! To submit your testimonial simply type it all in the chat and fill in the contact details! You will be notified when your testimonial is up and LIVE on our home page! You can take a look at some of our testimonials here.
*If you do submit a testimonial you'll also be the first we'd contact for any beta-testing/beta-reading of our new implements and guest-posts!*
3. You can apply to become a story reviewer
If you've read a lot of fiction and you love reading other works of fiction, then apply to become a story reviewer! In the Guest Post page, you'll notice the criteria for flash fiction stories, where users can submit their own crafted stories to be reviewed! Till date, I've been doing it solo, which has been a tedious task since I also have to keep up on my blog posting schedule and social media. If you think you'll be able to handle reviewing two to three stories a month, then you can simply request in the chat (speech bubble at the bottom right corner) and fill in your contact details!
*If you do request to become a story reviewer you will automatically get the title of 'Flash Fiction Critic' and your name will be added to a list with other Flash Fiction Critics for all users to see.*
4. Blog Interviews/ Podcast interviews
If you are a Writing blogger or social media influencer or a published/in-progress-of-publishing author or a successful writer then this is exactly a way you can get your viewer/reader count soar! Promote your visibility by requesting an interview, where we'll simple give you some questions to answer in your perspective and your answers (along with a short Biography) will be featured on the blog AND Podcast! (The podcast is a voice-over) This way you will gain a lot more online visibility on your products/ services/ websites! To request an interview just COMMENT AT THE END OF THIS POST ONLY (sign up required so I can contact you afterwards) Your interviews may also be broadcasted on our socials, communications and websites and any of your products/services/websites will also be featured as advertisements around the blog and Book Club! To see some of our interviews click HERE!
*If you request an Interview, you have a higher chance at being personally contacted for another one in the near future! You will also be highlighted as 'Interview of the Month' *
5. Referral Policy
This is a new policy that is coming into place in 2022. For every referral that does either of the above, you will receive a free bonus (never seen before content) that is specially kept for referral's ONLY. This may include writing products for FREE or Blog content that was never published or Discount codes to a lot of tools most writers use! You will still need to check back to this post for when and how you can start referrals, but here is how it works: You'll get a unique link that leads to this blog, the number of times its been clicked by different users (this can be tracked) will be counted bi-monthly, and if you reach 20 referrals you'll activate your free bonus which will be mailed directly to you! Till the policy comes to action, you can promote the website or blog or podcast in any way you'd like to get more referrals when you receive your referral link.
If none of these appeals to you, that's alright! I'm still glad your an Indited Fiction Blog Reader (without you this website would have never come to life) and if you know someone-else who you'd think would benefit from any of the top opportunities', then do share this post by clicking on any of the social media buttons at the bottom of this post!
2021 year in review
The year started with hope and optimism. After the devastating news of the pandemic in 2020, hope was the only thing that we hung on during the entire course of 2021. But resilience was everywhere. The world emerging from the worst of the pandemic focused a new concentration on the intolerable inequities brought into high relief by lockdown, and climate change that made itself more evident by the day. As for the website, 2021 was a year where we achieved more than we have before! Celebrating our one-year anniversary, LOADS of free resources were made available to writers all over the globe. Workshops and seasonal challenges/miniseries were conducted along with the creation of the Indited Fiction Podcast and Book Club, in 2021 we opened Guest-posting for everyone to share their knowledge in writing. We've gotten a lot more interactions and connections from different aspiring writers and have helped dozens of storytellers achieve their fullest potentials through our (now closed) Book clarifying service that was open half the year, free for everyone.
To sum up, here are the 7 most important things I learnt in 2021:
1. Being selfish is a good thing
Yes, you heard that right. Be selfish. Prioritize yourself. Take care of yourself first. Put your needs first. You can’t add any value to other people’s lives if you can’t add any value to yours. Cancel your plans if you don’t feel like meeting people. Don’t talk to people if you don’t have the energy. Tell people no if you are not in a place to help them out. And, most importantly, don’t feel guilty about choosing yourself over others.
2. Being optimistic is overrated
Yes, it is important to stay positive and look at the bright side of things. But constant optimism also adds unnecessary pressure. You don’t have to say “everything will be alright” or “it happened for the best” all the time. Not every single thing in life has a grand reason. Sometimes, things just happen because they happen. And you don’t have to always look at the “good” that comes out of what happened. Being optimistic is a good thing, but also be realistic. Accept that not everything will go the way you want and don’t be disheartened. Give yourself a little time to wallow in all the things that went wrong. Then get back in action.
3. Be in a relationship with yourself
In this fast-paced world, you often feel the pressure to date and get into a relationship, especially when people around you are busy falling in love, getting married, or trying to get into a relationship. It’s okay if you are single. It’s okay if you are not ready to date. Take this time to find yourself, to love yourself, to learn about yourself. Go on that solo trip, learn that new hobby, cook for yourself, dance by yourself, and fall in love with yourself.
4. Your resilience is your power
You have been hit with so many challenges in these past two years. Yet, you have managed to overcome them all. There may be a few dents, but you are not broken. There may be a few scars, but those are scars that prove you are a tough-ass bitch. You have battled your demons and you stand strong and tall. Don’t you ever forget that!
5. Take a day off
Work is not worship. Be hardworking, but also take a day off when you feel like you need it. Pushing yourself to do your job when you are highly stressed is not going to yield any results. Don’t let yourself come to the stage of burnout. Take a day or two or a week off. You’ll be relaxed, your work will be much better, and your productivity will also increase.
6. Be thankful
Don’t forget to thank the universe for all your blessings. Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that bring the most joy. Don’t take them for granted. Thank the house worker who makes your tea, thank your mom for switching off the lights in your room, thank your colleague for imparting some words of wisdom. And thank yourself for having the strength to survive and fight through each day.
7. Every day doesn’t have to be big
Sit on your balcony with a warm cup of coffee and feel the wind blow on your face. Cuddle up with a book in the favorite corner of your house. Get together with your family in the evening to play a game of Monopoly. Don’t live in the pursuit of making everything and every day big. These small moments are what you’ll remember when someone asks you, “When did you feel the most peaceful in life?”
Round-up of the best blog-posts of 2021
Over-all these are the posts that have gotten the most interaction with and is popular among the Indited Fiction Blog Readers:
Overall, these are the Posts I thought got their well-deserved praise. Lookout for more new and exciting Posts in 2022! Speaking of which... below are my ideas for 2022!
New implements for 2022
Note: These are just some ideas I've planned, I cannot confirm or be sure that ALL of them will be carried out, but I can assure you that some of them will be.
1. Writing Workshop
To be honest, I already started on this one. Its a workshop where you can outline your book idea using the plot formula I used in all three of my novels. Its very simple and easy to follow, the workshop includes everything you need to know while using the plot formula and how you can use this outline to maximize your writing productivity. The workshop will go live on the first week on January and will be the highlight of the website till mid-February. After that, you will be able to find the workshop within the blog as a separate Post.
2. Monthly writing prompts
Ok, quick confession, this is actually something for me. 2021 may have been a year where I've crushed my website goals, but I cant say the same about my writing ones. I'll try to upload a monthly prompt and write a story along with that prompt. That way I can stick to my goal of writing short-stories every month and help-you guys out with Inspiration finds at the same time!
3. Write your novel in 30 days challenge
Quite frankly, I've been wanting to do this challenge since summer, but never got the time or patience to start one of these. the 30 day challenge idea was one I got when I completed the first draft of my Novel (Currently in Progress) and though why not share everything I've learned? I've attended Camp NaNoWriMo plenty of times before, and you should too! Definitely something every writer should try. I thought I would start this challenge on the next NaNoWriMo event next year!
4. Novel Podcast!
This is something I wish would happen. Once I've completed the second draft of my novel, I hope to be able to get it read out like an audio book on a different podcast. Of course, this would mean FINISHING my novel which I intend to do by next year!
And that's a wrap!
Here's a little something to remember for the new year:
When I was in second grade, I submitted my first story to a contest. It was a huge risk that made me sweat. I wrote about...still having my baby blanket. I turned it in and wanted to puke.
Then I forgot all about it.
Weeks later my teacher gave me the news: my story won! I was invited to a “luncheon” (Ooh, so much fancier than just “lunch”...) with all the other winners. Wait – were the other students going to find out that I still had my baby blanket!?! I wanted to puke again.
As I sat in the dining room, dressed to the nines with a bunch of other kids and drinking iced water out of goblets, I was hooked. I was in a room full of writers. Something I had written from the heart was being appreciated and recognized. I was a writer.
I wish I could say all the projects I've done since second grade received the same kind of acclaim, but one thing has remained the same. Well, two things, actually. I still get a thrill when I realize I am a writer. And I still want to puke when I submit.
You probably have a story like mine. I hear them over and over again. For me, writing has been one of the only constants of my life. A lot of years have passed since second grade, but writing (and all its ups and downs) has been threaded through them all. It's what I come back to – always. And, while this feeling is not unusual among writers, I think you'll agree it is special.
It's also kind of bizarre. It's a compulsion. We must create. Yet, sharing can be scary. We put down words like paving stones, making a path to our most genuine, vulnerable selves. Then we set up barriers at its entrance. We want our work to resonate; but we are afraid to shout it too loudly.
But I can shout it for you. You are a writer!!
Maybe you're not where you want to be with your craft, but even the experts will tell you that you never really arrive. If those masters wake up each day and aim to improve, so should you and I. We're doing it, y'all.
And it is a gift. Whatever you have written on your heart, don't be afraid to get it onto paper. Be brave, writer. Happy New year 2022!