It’s been quite a year! I became an award-winning writer, my story featured in an Amazon #1 bestselling anthology, and I was flown out to Hollywood for a weeklong writing workshop and a fancy awards gala. Now that 2025 is coming to an end, I wanted to reflect a little on the highlights of my writing journey this year.

I was honoured, humbled, and somewhat stunned, to be announced as a winner of the prestigious Writers of the Future contest for my story, “The Stench of Freedom”. This win really gave me the confidence to be more open about wanting to pursue a career as a writer and led me to develop my own website and this newsletter. This year has been a real step into the unknown in many ways and has been one heck of an exciting ride!

I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life this year when I was flown out for a week-long writing masterclass in Hollywood delivered by huge names in the speculative fiction world. Writers such as Tim Powers, Larry Niven, Nancy Kress, Jody Lynn Nye, Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Robert J. Sawyer and many more. Not to mention, my first ever autograph was for none other than Brandon Sanderson, although he wasn’t there in person—but still, how cool is that?!

I also attended a very fancy black-tie gala to receive my Writers of the Future award where I got to meet the director of The Little Mermaid, Moana and many other Disney classics, and a real life astronaut! It was a truly unforgettable experience and I feel very honoured and privileged to have joined the illustrious list of Writers of the Future winners.

I had two stories published this year:

I had more interviews, news articles and podcast appearances this year than I ever imagined I’d have in my entire life: 12 in total. I even appeared on TV! Who would have thought it? Not me.

Rounding off 2025, in December I submitted 1 story and received 0 rejections. This means my year-end stats look like this:

I didn’t hit 50 submissions for the year, which became a soft goal of mine after my submissions reached the mid 30s. But over the last few months I’ve started to realise I need to let my stories (and revised drafts) percolate in my brain a little longer to let my subconscious connect dots and pick holes before I go off and hit ‘send’. This has resulted in fewer submissions, but hopefully submissions of a higher quality. I still have a few such stories out on submission so time will tell if this approach will pay dividends!

My last book recommendation for the year is a true classic that’s such a fun read, and best read aloud, which delivers a timely reminder about what’s really important at Christmas. I dare you to read it and not get those warm Christmas ‘feels’.

It also contains perhaps my favourite line of prose in any picture book I’ve read (and there’s seriously stiff competition in that regard):

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What I’ve been reading: I’ve been reading the recent Booker Prize winning novel, Flesh by David Szalay, which my new book club chose as the first book for us to read. It’s the story of Istvan, from his time as a 15 year old in Hungary through to his life working for some of the wealthy elites in London. It has a sparse style of prose and grammar, which reminds me a little of Cormac McCarthy, and has a few more racy scenes than I was expecting. I’ve not yet finished it but I’m looking forward to discussing it with my book club next month.

What I’ve been watching: Christmas movies! And lots of them. Some of my favourites are (in no particular order): How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, Love Actually, The Santa Clause, Home Alone, A Muppet’s Christmas Carol (I love how seriously Michael Caine acted opposite the muppets), The Holiday, Christmas with the Kranks, Miracle on 34th Street (Richard Attenborough version), Santa Claus: The Movie (John Lithgow is hilariously over the top as the toy making villain!), and Elf. I’ve also been watching Christmas animations and films with my children, who are still at the age where that’s what they prefer (5yo and 4yo), and I particularly like the ‘Prep and Landing’ series on Disney+, and the animated Grinch with Benedict Cumberbatch.

You know you were only going to get one type of meme this month—a Christmas meme! And who doesn’t love an over-dressed Christmas tree (especially one with sass)?

Until next time, Nadolig Llawen pawb / Merry Christmas everyone, and I wish you all a happy and healthy 2026.

Joel