2025, will be my year of writing
(and I'm documenting it here first for said accountability)
Hello, and welcome!
Thanks to my lovely pal
there are quite a few new faces and names that have joined Behind The Fringe (affectionately known as BTF) in the past few weeks. So I am wishing you all a very warm welcome and thanking you so much for subscribing.Though, a note, if you are expecting the mouthwatering, food-centric content that lovely Mel is renowned for, then I am afraid you are definitely in the wrong place for that (just thought I’d be upfront ha!).
BTF continues to evolve with time, and as I continue to finesse my routine around writing and sharing with you all, in this space, I am most definitely keen for any and all feedback on what YOU would like to read in this space?
Feel free to let me know through commenting under this post, or via filling in the poll below.
Oh and if you are new around here and want to know more about me ‘Camilla’ or the original ideas behind BTF - then it might be worth reading this and this.
So, why will 2025 be the year of writing?
(photo credit: Alessia Ferraro Photography )
In an effort to be more intentional with my time and creativity, I am heralding 2025 as my personal ‘year of writing’. A tall order in a year that I am also planning a wedding, moving countries and continuing to build a business, but alas, I am nothing if not ambitious… with a huge side serve of time blindness (i.e. definitely think I can achieve more in any given amount of time, then I actually reasonably can).
I am setting this intention here, to first, hold me accountable (as I am known for having a fast moving and variable attention space, constantly starting but not finishing new things!). Secondly, because I have in fact realised that when everyone says… ‘your writing only gets better with practice’…that they are in fact correct. Oh, and three…because I actually really enjoy sharing and connecting through written word (important, as I am not a fan of doing things on repeat that I don’t love).
So, 2025 will be the year that I commit to showing up and writing on BTF as much as I possibly can (aiming for at least once weekly), and also the year that I try something new and scary…and that is writing fiction.
Motivation levels are currently high (linked also to the fact that I have signed myself for a fiction writing course in January!) but I have no doubt that THE FEAR, will also be on the horizon. All part of the course, though, hey?
It is also the year, that I want to continue to READ more fiction too (which I love to do!) and which sometimes does not go hand-in-hand with writing more, but I feel I can make it work by spending a LOT less time scrolling on my phone and opening website tabs (it’s definitely a sticky habit!). I also have the most gigantic TBR (‘to be read’) pile staring at me, menacingly.
In fact the next books to tackle on the TBR (in case you fancy some holiday reading ideas) are:
I brought this one back from Australia in July and have been saving it up, but now really is the tyme. It’s all for release in the UK soon, too.
‘…about love and how it's policed, friendship and how it transcends, and hilarity in the face of heartbreak. A celebration of queer life in all its vibrancy and colour…’ (credit: Pan Macmillan Australia)
Another Australian title (although it probably is available on audio for UK listeners, somewhere, I hope!).
‘Set in the pristine, precarious world of MoMA, The Modern is a brilliantly wry and insightful debut about art, sexuality, commitment and whether being on the right path can lead to the wrong place.’ (credit: Simon & Schuster)
I love anything art, NYC and exploration of self, so I reckon this is right up my street.
My local bookshop in London has hailed this debut as their ‘2024 - Book of the Year’, so as I trust them implicitly with recommendations, I purchased a copy. It had also been recommended my many friends too.
“An ethereal, haunting novel with a howl of screaming rage at its core, van der Wouden's extraordinary debut sees tensions between two women in early-60s rural Netherlands reach boiling point over the course of a sweltering summer.” (credit: Waterstones)
So far, I am loving the tension between the two female main characters and the air of mystery building. It is definitely keeping me interested.
Though, I am afraid this one may not be available to Australian readers, hopefully I am soon proven wrong.
No explanation needed here, and yes, although I bought my copy amongst the hype of the launch, I am yet to read it. Somewhat intentionally as I do not always like to read something when it’s at it’s peak in popularity.
I am very intrigued by the synopsis though and wonder whether it is a Rooney I will like (Normal People was not my favourite, but I have enjoyed some of her others).
I confess, I picked up this book first because of the exceptional cover art. Stunning.
However, the storyline synopsis immediately captured me, and I do after all love supporting a debut author.
The line that caught me “After a tragic event at a beach in Swansea, the trio are ripped apart, and Toni escapes to London, becoming caught between a convenient, loveless relationship and an illicit, lustful affair.” (credit: Dead Ink Books)
Sadly, another title not readily available if you are in Australia.
Side note: I hope that with time, there is much less of a divide between titles published here versus the Southern Hemisphere (and vice versa) - it is a huge bug bear of mine and means I am constantly capitalising on friends travelling home to Australia to smuggle me back titles. It also sometimes means that the titles I come across are not always available to everyone reading. I sincerely apologise for that, but I am trying to mix it up as much as possible.
If you are in the Southern Hemisphere and have read a book you’ve loved recently then do feel free to message me or comment, to recommend it! I am always looking to expand my book horizons.
See you next week.
Camilla x