Ending the year on a high
The shifts, gifts and challenges of 2024
Hello lovely readers,
As 2024 comes to an end, I feel like I’m standing on the winner’s podium, holding up my trophy. What a year it has been! So many challenges, so many twists, so many self-doubts that have been overcome. I am finishing strong and that is a great feeling!
I thought in my final newsletter for the year I’d share with you some of the things 2024 has taught me. But before I get to that, I want to let you know that if you live in Australia and would like a signed copy of my latest book, The Masterpiece, as a Christmas gift (for yourself or a friend), you can do so by contacting the wonderful
folks at Dymocks Rouse Hill before my event there on December 4th:
Phone: (02) 8883-3055, or;
Email: rousehill@dymocks.com.au
I can sign a copy for you and the store will post it out to you in time for Christmas! And yes, personalised messages are welcome!
Also, at the end of the newsletter, I’ll post the details for my final events of the year.
LESSONS I LEARNED IN 2024
Honour the struggle
When writers are depicted in movies, they’re usually tapping away at their typewriters with flourish, feverish with excitement, and the words flowing onto the page. That’s because using precious screen time to take up what writing a book is really like would not be visually exciting.
Writing is a nebulous activity – the story often spends a lot of time floating around in the ether before it becomes fully formed. During that phase, writing can be extremely uncomfortable. There is a lot of pacing around, waiting for the story to arrive. There are lots of sleepless nights staring at the ceiling and wondering if you’ve lost your touch.
There was a point at the end of 2023 when my latest book The Masterpiece just wasn’t working, and I didn’t see any way to fix it. It was the first time I ever doubted whether I should continue writing or look for another career. I came very close to calling my agent and telling her I would have to give my publisher back their advance. I was one phone call away from throwing in the towel.
But I didn’t. I pushed through. I kept going even when the doubts and difficulties felt like big waves tossing and turning me. The result was a book that many readers are saying is my best yet. It’s multi-layered, complex and rewarding. It was difficult to write, but it was worth it. I also got to go on a fabulous book tour and meet so many wonderful readers – I would have missed out on that if I hadn’t continued.
Sometimes the struggle isn’t a sign that you should give up – but that your best work is being born.
Available in Australia and NZ in print, ebook, audio
USA and UK ebook and audio with print to follow in 2025 (BUY BUTTON)
Overseas editions to be announced later
The Masterpiece in AUSTRALIA
Available in print, ebook and audiobook:
The Masterpiece in NEW ZEALAND
Available in print, ebook and audiobook:
The Masterpiece in UNITED KINGDOM
Available in ebook and audiobook with print to follow in 2025:
The Masterpiece in the USA
Available in ebook and audiobook with print to follow in 2025:
Overseas editions to be announced later
LESSONS I LEARNED IN 2024 CONTINUED …
Don’t wait for Inspiration – live an inspired life
Sometimes we think the inspiration to do or create something is going to arrive out of the blue. We will be walking along, living a mundane life, when suddenly the clouds will open and a Divine hand will reach from the heavens and give us a package labelled ‘inspiration’. What I have learned is that to be creative and to produce unique work, it’s important to live a life that is full of inspiration every day. To me that involves surrounding myself with nature and beauty, but also order. Inspiration may come to me out of a chaotic experience in my life, but it doesn’t come to me when I have a pile of paperwork sprawled across my desk.
An inspired life involves being around inspiring people, admiring the creativity of others (the best cure for writer’s block, I’ve discovered, is to go look at paintings in the art gallery) and dancing
This year I challenged myself to perform a belly dance routine with two other dancers. I can speak before audiences with confidence, but learning a dance routine and performing it in front of a (paying) audience was entirely out of my comfort zone. But while living an inspired life means surrounding myself with lovely and thought-provoking things, being too comfortable and never challenging myself to stretch, doesn’t conjure up creativity.
Journalling, Questions and Teaching
At my lowest point in writing The Masterpiece, I did Jojo Moyes BBC Maestro masterclass. In one of her lessons, she invites a psychological coach, Lisa Christie, to discuss how to overcome blocks and obstacles to creativity. Not long afterwards, fellow author Hannah Richell told me that she had also employed a coach to help her overcome difficulties she was having with her writing.
Athletes have been employing sports psychologists to give them the winning edge for decades, so why not creative people? I didn’t have the bandwidth for any more appointments in my life at that time, but I am a keen reader of personal development books and I’ve been journalling since I was a child. Through some trial and error, I found that asking myself questions and writing down my answers was effective in helping me see past psychological blocks.
But I also knew the best way to truly consolidate your learning is to teach what you’ve discovered to someone else. That’s one of the reasons why my friend Kelly Morton and I decided to start a free weekly Substack newsletter THE INTENTIONALIST this year. I write up the journal prompts that are helping me live an inspired life and Kelly adds some humorous anecdotes and fun facts to them. We do this because personal development can feel like a very serious business sometimes, but we learn better when we are having fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to THE INTENTIONALIST you can do so here:
I know 2025 will have its own challenges and triumphs. But having come out of a turbulent year still standing, I feel ready for just about anything!
I hope you do too!
Thank you to you all for your support. Wishing you a wonderful and happy holiday season and I look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Love Belinda XX
UPCOMING EVENTS:
NSW
❦ Wednesday, December 4th | 6:30 pm
Cost | $10.00PP | Book your ticket here: An Evening with Belinda Alexandra
If you are in Sydney, it would be so lovely to see you at my last in-person event for the year! I'll be talking about The Masterpiece and I'll be signing copies (as well as some backlist books too). Bring your friends and let's have fun. Details below.
NATIONAL
❦ Monday, December 9th | 8:30 pm Online (AEDT)
BOOK QUEENS with Belinda Alexandra Christmas Party
For our final book club of the year, we’re taking inspiration from the 80s and we’ll be talking BONKBUSTERS! We’ll have some seasonal fun, special guests will pop in, and we’ll chat about the books that defined our youth. My favourite bonkbuster was I’ll Take Manhattan by Judith Krantz … who else loved a bonkbuster? Don’t worry if they weren’t your thing – you’ll still have fun with us, so make sure you come along.
