‘The difference between doing nothing and doing something is everything.’ Daniel Berrigan

Thoughts, Intentions and Inspirations for 2025

Waiting to go into AGLOW light show at Auckland Castle

Welcome all to 2025 here on Writing Days! I hope you’ve enjoyed, or at least survived the festive season. As a mother of two and grandmother of three I love Xmas but I don’t deny I’m relieved when it’s over and a new year beckons. In the hiatus between Xmas and New Year my thoughts inevitably turn to the writing year ahead. Here, in my first post of 2025 I’d like to share those thoughts and intentions, while also offering you some inspiration for your own work in the coming months.

In the face of escalating global wars, the devastation in Ukraine and Gaza, the horror and helplessness we experience every day as the images and reports unfold in our daily news feeds, I’ve resolved to donate any money made through my writing, here or otherwise, in 2025 to Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders. Do click on the link to see the amazing work they do.

In the spring of 2025, (I’m still deciding on the date) I will publish my memoir, Handmade, in instalments here on Writing Days. I’m also hoping to offer an audio version read by me. While I want to stress that this content and all future content, including my memoir instalments, will remain FREE, I very much welcome donations for MSF and to this effect I’m opening paid monthly/annual subscriptions now for those of you who can afford to join me in supporting them .

If you wish to make a one off donation you can easily subscribe and then unsubscribe a month or two months later. (I describe how at the end of this post)

Every penny will go to MSF. I will regularly display a running total of money raised. I will continue to post fortnightly and on occasion, weekly.

I don’t have a large number of subscribers. I do not expect to make a large amount of money but with your help I hope to make a contribution however small in these difficult times. Continuing to write, to live a creative life that is true to who we are, while fostering a sense of community and doing what we can to help those who are suffering, are all small acts of resistance. Sometimes they are all we have.

‘No offering is too small… all of us without exception are qualified to participate in the rescue of the world.’ Julian Aguon.

Thank you so much for supporting me in this venture.

Now to some thoughts on finding inspiration for your writing in 2025

1. If you don’t already, then do subscribe to Maria Popova’s extraordinary weekly newsletter, The Marginalian. (Scroll down the left hand column for sign up). It’s rich in content, reflecting on literature, art, science, poetry and philosophy. You cannot fail to find something of interest and inspiration in the seemingly endless links she provides. It is the one newsletter I never delete and always read.

2. Read, read, read and keep a reading diary. I often wish I developed this habit and had a record of books-read to refer to. Be as creative with your journal as you like, or as serious - a reading diary could easily be the basis for a newsletter like this, but more importantly, reading is the foundation and inspiration for all writing.

3. Take a workshop or a course, short or long, something new. Sign up for the Short Story Course with me later in the year at Collected Books in Durham. (I will let you know in advance when booking opens) Step out of your comfort zone if you dare. In 2011 I took what I considered at the time to be a ‘scary’ poetry course. I wrote a number of poems, I learned a lot, and I also wrote my 2012 Costa winning short story, Millie and Bird.

4. Ask yourself the question, if I could write anything what would it be? When you have the answer start thinking and writing. Set yourself small goals that are achievable i.e. 30 minutes writing a day.

5. If you’re a poet, read Dave Bonta’s Poetry Blog Digest - a round up of the best poetry blogs of the week

6. Sign up for January Writing Hours with poets Kim Moore and Claire Shaw - you don’t have to be a poet you can write prose - they begin on Wednesday, the 1st of January at 10 a.m. and run every day until Friday the 31st. There are a number of free tickets available, pay-as-you-feel is also available. You can buy a month’s worth or a week’s worth at a time. I guarantee it will inspire you.

7. Spend time with images. Write from art, respond to painting and sculpture, if possible visit a gallery.

8. Take a large piece of paper and draw a map of a place that you want to write about, be as imaginative with your map as you can.

9. Read anything by Natalie Goldberg

10. Note to self! Remember it’s okay not to be writing. Don’t lock yourself away in your room just for the sake of it, take time off, go out for a walk. Listen to music, podcasts, meet friends for coffee, talk to your creative buddy and if you don’t have one- then make it your mission to find one in 2025.

Finally, I’m delighted to say that my publisher Linen Press are in complete support of my/our efforts here and will be publishing an anthology of poetry and short prose with profits to MSF later in the year. I’ll let you know when the submission window opens, in this case submissions will be invited from she, he and they!

As always - thanks for joining me here

Avril x

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