Write On! Features: The Write On! Team Share Their 2025 Writing Year

Edited by Claire Buss

Another year is swiftly drawing to its close and as ever, it’s our cue to reflect on writing progress – the highs and the lows. I invited members of the Write On! team to share their stories but it wouldn’t be fair to not spin one of my own.

Imagine a writer who thought it was January yesterday. Who thought her house move would take three months not nine. Who doesn’t have two children, one with additional needs, and gets lots of spare time to herself. Imagine how much she would have written this year.

Still, I’m not one to dwell and upon reflection, I did manage to publish Awaken, The Kat Kritchley Chronicles Book 1 and I released The Rose Thief on audiobook. Just last week I typed The End on the first draft of The Kat Kritchley Chronicles Book 2. It turns out I achieved more than I thought. Sure, I’m always going to think I could’ve done more, but then don’t we always?

As a self-published author, it’s not enough to write the book. I am meant to do all the social media and promotion as well and it has been that aspect that has very definitely taken a back seat. Perhaps that was why I felt I hadn’t done very much this year and dropped the ball when in actual fact, on the creative side, I did good.

Looking forward to next year I’d like to increase my reader pool. Get my books out in front of new readers. Some might say that’s the holy grail, but who knows what we can achieve if we put our minds to it? Perhaps reading this collection of reflections will spur you on to tackle your own writing or creative goals in 2026. I do hope so, and I hope we all feel creatively fulfilled this time next year.

Happy Christmas!

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Of course, I must share words of wisdom from our Editor, Madeleine F White, first so here she is with her own look back at 2025:

As editor of Write On, I’m privileged to witness so much courageous, inventive work from writers who are bravely finding – or re-finding – their voices. Perhaps part of the reason I recognise the truth in what you share with us is that I’m always searching for my own.

This year has reminded me that creativity is a continual cycle of beginnings and endings; of stepping forward even when the path ahead isn’t fully lit. There have been unexpected openings: The Girl From Montego Bay — which I supported through the co-creation process — was published in January and went on to win an award; I launched my poetry collection in April; toured the South West thanks to the Jawbone Collective; and prepared the forthcoming connected Maiden Mother Crone Anthology.

Alongside this, I’ve stepped more deeply into thought-leadership writing, where ideas I’ve carried for years have suddenly begun to clarify and connect. And in an unexpected way, this has brought me back to my novels. The themes I’m unpacking in the essays: presence, connection, meaning, are the same ones my fiction has always tried to articulate. So I’m realising that the novels, including No One, which is currently on submission, will find their place, but maybe not via the route I’d once assumed.

In one of my Maiden Mother Crone poems I articulated this process as: …Cat’s eyes stretching into the night.

We don’t always know what’s coming, but we know the path will emerge if we just keep walking. So I move towards 2026 with creative courage, trusting that the next shape of my writing is already forming.

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Thoughtful Tuesday Editor Eithne Cullen

People ask me if I’m doing much writing these days and I think I’m probably not. However, reflecting on events of 2025 I can come up with a few highlights:

• Publication, including having a Flash piece in Mslexia and waiting for the forthcoming Maiden, Mother, Crone Anthology which features my work. Also Hatred Is Bitter fruit anthology, earlier this year.
• Being appointed as Poet Laureate of Barking Boathouse.
• 26^th (and now 27^th) edition of Write On! magazine. I was at our very first meeting  and have continued through Write On! Extra in lockdown and onwards.
• Workshops including one with Sarah Westcott which brought her in contact with Write On! – also with Daljit Nagra, Kelly Jones, Miriam Gold and the fabulous Mab Jones. And a creative future Flash course with Rayna Haralambieva.
• Running another writing retreat with Mary Walsh.
• A fabulous Pen to Print retreat in Hay, for the festival in May.
• I’m also looking forward to running some workshops in the New Year!

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New Write On! Team Member, Sarah Frideswide

I joined the team because I came to one meeting and loved everyone’s passion and enthusiasm. It’s wonderful to be part of something where everyone lives and breathes writing and wants to share the joy of it with the wider community.

I’ve been writing stories and poems since I was six. As a child with undiagnosed ADHD, I had chronic insomnia. But being awake at night wasn’t allowed in my house. So I used to write stories and poems in the small hours (luckily, there was no shortage of pens or paper in my room!). Then, to ensure I never got caught, I’d hide them behind the wardrobe, where they’d wait until I was ready to become my secret creative self again every night.

Since then, taught by Denise Saul and Morag Joss, I’ve gone on to achieve a Distinction for my MA in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University. I’ve written for The Publishing Post and for Foreword Reviews. My poetry has been published by OSP Review and Dust Poetry. I was selected for the 2025 Poetry School / TLC Free Reads Scheme and am being mentored by Rishi Dastidar. I’m working on a novel and my first poetry pamphlet. Meanwhile, I also publish episodes of a serialised story on Substack every week with the intention of bringing some light to people’s inboxes in a world that can seem quite dark at the moment.

I am looking forward to helping the team at Pen to Print bring even more light into the world with their celebration of creativity and what makes us human.

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Poet, Author And Write On! Contributor, Mary L Walsh

From a drawer full of poems
No one had seen
Publishing them, a bit of a dream
The dream came true
With Threads Of Home
A poetry collection all of my own.

 

Poet and regular Write On! Contributor, Vrushali Khadilkar

It’s been a wonderful year with Pen to Print. This is my second year with the Write On! team and, as always, it’s been an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to take on the role of curating the February editorial web pages and truly enjoyed reading so many incredible submissions. The team’s call-outs along the way have  inspired me to contribute as well and I’m feeling pretty cool to have submitted an illustration this year too! I love how welcoming the team is Looking at the year ahead – I’m looking forward to participate and contribute my best.

 

Poet And Regular Write On! Contributor, Tavinder Kaur

Possibilities for potential progress,
The opportunity to facilitate Fertility UK Childlessness helps others who are recovering,
Heal, hope, holistic community that resonates,
Monthly Poem on Fertility UK.
Chance to express the words of pain and healing
Having my work discussed on the Radio Unity 101
So many rejections, sorry, this poem is not to be taken
Entering competitions
Runner Up for a poem written about Rain
Sharing work with Artful Scribe and Open Book
Writing just for the sake of the art
Pen to Print showcase
Majorie’s Lofties Table every week of writing
Jenny Mitchell and Daljit Nagra’s poetry opportunities for sharing writing

Creativity in 2025
Having my words published on Word Childless week
Never thought that I would have to enter this place
Yet to be allowed to share often words that cannot be expressed
Attending Pen to Print London Library, What Makes A Magazine, Get that Novel out of your head,
Possibilities for potential progress,
Networking meeting other writers within the Community.
Attending the Book Launch of Mary Walsh,
So many rejections, sorry, this poem is not to be taken.
Being allowed to be the editor of The Poetry Lighthouse as a volunteer,
Always growing, shaping, and sharing
Can’t wait to see what 2026 awaits

Wherever I go, the Pen is there with me
As a healing tool, it helped me to get back to myself
Heal, hope, holistic community that resonates

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Shortlisted Pen to Print Book Challenger, Nick Burdett

2025 has been all about admitting I am a writer. I have been writing for years, but this year I Am A Writer.

I’ve been actively working on my book as part of the Pen to Print Book Challenge. The impending deadline to publish Vigilantes Anonymous in 2026 has flipped a switch in my head; taking my writing from a personal hobby  few knew about, to something I need to declare publicly and actively promote. With this in mind, I joined the Write On! team as a way of putting more of myself out there in the writing world.

I’ve recently had a piece published in Write On! Extra’s Thursday Connectors, and led an interview for the sponsor page in the print magazine. The open discussions with the team have been inspiring and the active encouragement from everyone has given me confidence to write more and be proud of what I produce.

Looking forward to 2026: I have my book coming out and, once  that’s completed,  hopefully more involvement with Write On!

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Poet, Writer And Regular Write On! Contributor, Sebastian Elanko

A Year Of Growth And Gratitude…

I have continued writing this year, stepping into a new genre: non-fiction essays and articles on wellbeing, nutrition, healthy eating and lifestyle within the medical field.

Writing non-fiction is not as easy as writing fiction. It has required a great deal of reading and research to provide the audience with knowledge and education. To achieve this, I’ve read numerous journals, textbooks and articles in the medical field.

My creative work has also flourished – my poems and short stories spreading their wings to embrace more versatile genres. Writing in the vernacular is a different feeling altogether and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing in my mother tongue. I revisited some of my past work to study how I could improve my writing skills and I recognise that my mother tongue laid a solid foundation for them. Furthermore, writing in English helps to maintain my balance of creation.

I’m greatly indebted to my wife for her inspiration, amazing support and encouragement; without her, none of this would have been possible as my creative journey has connections with her. All in all, it’s been a good year and has made me reflect on what inspires us.

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Poet, Writer, Artist And Regular Write On! Contributor, Dr Afsana Elanko

Exploring The Past To Move Forward…

My goals for 2025 have been about writing aswan act of connection and exploration.  I’ve therefore been navigating suggestions and commissions and so, widening  my writing arena with a truly open mind. By opening the door to new ideas it’s  amazing how our beautiful brain expands to explode with ideas and creativity! I’ve also reconnected with the past by writing for audio and performance. It was enthralling, and made me realise how much I’d missed it. I’m humbled by how my words are able to change the emotions of the audience.  It’s a momentous feeling when a piece of writing  can unify an audience to have the same reactions or feelings. The connection  is so special!

Writing for the readers or audiences’ desires and demands has made me realise my own importance in the writing community and how my words matter. This is something I’d not  always fully appreciated. And, having taken a break and returned, taught me how my words resonate with the community and it matters to them that I create and share. So, I thank each and every person who reads, listens or engages with my work; you’re truly amazing people who keep me going. I’m looking forward to continuing with my writing in 2026 – especially with this rekindled love for audio and performance writing.

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Author, Playwright And Regular Write On! Contributor, Lucy Kaufman

“Now, Voyager!” My Year In Writing…

Last year was all about a physical relocation to a new city and this year has seen a further voyage into new territory in writing. From January, I explored new writing routines, new places to write, new genres to write in and, by the close of the year, have finally walked through a new doorway into the world of being a published author.

Fortnightly six-hour writing retreats and monthly two-hour ones away from all domestic distractions (and quite a bit of work at home) have resulted in Don’t Forget the Crazy, my first psychological thriller ebook, now available on Amazon, Apple Books and elsewhere; and a Victorian gothic novella due for release in January 2026. I am currently writing the sequel.

In May, my short play Vintage was performed at Brighton Fringe and has since found further life with two more companies. In August, my flash fiction The Anatomy of Flirtation was published by Bending Genres. November saw my poem Oranges Are Not the Only Loot included in a hugely ambitious art exhibition The Stolen Orange, honouring the life and work of poet Brian Patten, who sadly died during the curation; and my two short adaptations of Sense and Sensibility and Emma were two of six short plays in The Complete Works of Jane Austen in 90 Minutes, in celebration of Austen’s 250^th birthday.

All in all, it’s been an exciting, busy writing year and I look forward to surprising myself further next year!

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Poet, Author And Regular Write On! Contributor, Ellie Blake

Scrolling through my Instagram posts, I pause at the Lionesses’ celebrations. It was a first-time victory, which was not just about being the best, but held the promise of new beginnings.

This year has been full of firsts for me – the most significant was my cover interview with Patrick Vernon OBE for Issue 26, followed by our podcast conversation on Write On! Audio. Both were ‘yikes’ moments.

From interviews to poetry. I’m being stretched as a writer. The Yesterdays was published in Write On! Extra and in print, in the Silver Edition. I still hesitate to call myself a poet. That feels like too big a word, but I inch towards it, with a submission to my first anthology, Barking Revival.

Then, being able to share deeply personal memories about my grandmother around the anniversary of her passing and her birthday in ‘The Girl Outside The Classroom,’ has nudged me toward a new possible novel.

It’s helping me let go of my current novel, with an even stronger desire to finally finish it. Momentum through writing groups has been productive. Two hours of writing at 6am is harder than at 6pm – yet, those early bursts carry a unique energy!

Firsts also developed online. A YouTube Short reached 32,000 views, a new high for me. But beyond the spotlight, a quieter first was GCSE exams, in which I supported a student from an under-resourced background.

In the summer, I photographed bees, mirroring the season’s buzz and busyness of running creative writing and social media workshops, all part of my latest adventure, starting a business. Public speaking, with microphones, and on panels have been new experiences too.

Meanwhile, my recent interest in street photography might be bringing new opportunities in 2026, with more firsts waiting to unfold.

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Whilst reading these writerly updates, I was filled with a quiet sense of hope and success. Nobody is blowing their trumpet loudly or wailing into their hankies dramatically. There has been real creation and discovery. Our writers and poets have congratulated themselves on a job well done and so they should. The self-belief to take that first step towards sharing creative work is tremendous and one that I hope you all get to experience in 2026. Be brave, be bold and be true to your voice.

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You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.

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