I stopped making New Year's resolutions a while ago — they were only ever relevant to me on the day I made them — and then I would proceed to forget about them for the rest of the year.

Since I’ve been making “habit” goals as they seem more attainable. But this isn’t going to be a post about 10 habits you should adopt in 2021, but rather, the 10 habits I aim to leave behind in 2020.

For whatever reason — these habits that I’ve chosen to abandon— negatively impacted my life, mental health, or relationships with others.

Until the pandemic happened back in March, it may seem ludicrous, but it felt like I hadn’t had a chance to stop and breathe until then. At the beginning of 2020, I was fresh out of a degree and had no real responsibilities. When the pandemic happened, I was put on furlough and spent the best part of 10 months working a lot of “stuff” out. …

The Discomfort of Evening is a novel like no other. In many ways, it is evocative of the traditional literary fiction genre. Told through the perspective of Jas, a 10-year-old girl — it is highly character-driven.

My qualms with the novel lay in how it portrays discomfort — as it goes beyond certain (usually) respected boundaries. As a result, it may make many readers uncomfortable, with often, little warning. However, it makes for a truly compelling and addictive read. But maybe that’s precisely because it is so uncomfortable and strange? …

For the class of 2020, graduating into a pandemic was the last thing we had planned for. We have spent the past year panicking about what to do with our lives and felt frustrated that we have had to put our future careers on hold.

With graduate schemes moving online and new jobs being started remotely but fought with more competition than ever, in many ways, being a recent graduate during this pandemic has been challenging. Although job uncertainty coupled with the global economic strain may seem a recipe for disaster — it’s not all bad.

It’s actually a pretty good time to be a graduate. …

At the end of last year, I took the plunge and started my publication, A Thousand Lives. During this process, I’ve learned a lot.

Most importantly, running a publication is more than reading and editing. It relies on marketing, time management, and having a sense of self-worth. As a writer, it can be hard to juggle your time while being an editor, but it is worth it.

Social Media Platforms Are Important

Finding writers is challenging. With so many publications out there, it can be hard to get noticed. …

Saying “yes” is far easier than saying “no.” But the former response is a quick solution. At first glance, if you’re anything like me, you’ll say yes without even thinking that far ahead.

People pleasers are known as the type of people that never say “no,” they are often counted on by friends and family for a favour or to do things for other people. On the surface, they seem like the best kinds of people. But this persistence to never say “no” even when it is detrimental to our own wellbeing, should never be glorified.

People-pleasing can be an unhealthy pattern of behaviour at best — and can have fatal consequences at worst — which was something I learnt the hard way when growing up. …

Who would have thought it has been exactly a month since I launched, A Thousand Lives? I was nervous about starting this publication because I had no idea whether I would get anyone who wanted to write for us.

Remarkably — I have. If you are a writer who is reading this, I can’t thank you enough for choosing to have your work published here. We are still small, but growing by the day. …

After graduating in January 2020, my mind soon turned to all the time I would have to pitch to editors and work on my writing. After landing a job as a part-time bookseller and barista, I was excited to use the year to hopefully land my first commission.

Once I overcame the nerve-wracking anxiety of sending my first pitch, the rest got easier, but the rejection never did. I believe rejection can make you stronger — but this continuous process sucked away any desire I had to write in the first place. …

George Orwell published Why I Write in 1946 and outlined his motivations for writing, and what he hoped to achieve. Most significantly, he aimed to make “political writing into an art” which he definitely achieved with the likes of 1984 and Animal Farm.

Every once in a while, as writers, we should take the time to reflect on our own writing ambitions, why we are here, and what we aim to achieve. The process can help us hone our goals and ambitions and give us a sense of direction.

As I approach my first six months of writing online and consistently, I decided to write my own writer’s manifesto. Obviously, it won’t be as good as Orwell’s, but I aim to write it to have something to look back on once another six months have passed. …