I first became aware of this towards the end of 2019 when numerous Instagram accounts I follow started highlighting Words they had chosen for the upcoming year.

As with so many of the challenges that pop up on Instagram, I couldn’t find much information about this one and the selected words, themselves, didn’t give much away. It seemed to become more and more of a competition between accounts, until I wondered if it was based on the most random word someone could pick, or the one that contained the most letters. I finally decided it was a scam when I came across an ad offering to generate exclusive words – for $50

I was then distracted by all things Christmassy. It wasn’t until the dust from the festivities settled in mid-January last year that I did some research. Through this, I found out that individuals can select words to use as a focus for the year ahead, for encouragement or direction, support.

I felt this was a positive exercise, one that might be beneficial to me. And, after much consideration, I settled on:

Imagine.

Imagine; especially with regard to my writing. Imagine creating a writing routine; scribbling ideas in my notebook; typing word after word on my laptop; completing a first draft – a second, a third; finding an agent; getting published. Imagine the descriptive sentences and paragraphs I’d write. Imagine my pride at achieving my most desired life-time goal; imagine the reviews, the awards and prizes I’d receive.

I knew that ‘Imagine’ could be effective in other areas of my life, too, but felt certain that if I was happily engaged in my writing, almost everything else would fall into place.

Then, Covid 19 struck. I barely wrote, I hardly read; all I managed was to stumble along, doing my best, day by day. As the year from hell dragged itself towards December, I felt the stirring hopes of a fresh beginning and dared to turn my thoughts towards a Word for 2021. I assumed you had to pick a ‘new’ word but felt that I hadn’t fully utilised ‘Imagine’, so I recklessly decided to use it again.

However, I soon discovered that my writing, my ideas, had all stagnated; there was virtually nothing for me to draw from. Worse still, I’d lost my nerve, was questioning whether I could actually write and who would want to read any of the rubbish I did produce. I came so near to giving up; closing my notebook, screwing the lid back on my pen. Until I had a brainwave: find another word!

Believe

In myself and all I choose to do as an individual. Believe in my ability to write; in all my ideas stored safely away, biding time for the right moment to reveal themselves to me. And, to believe that the ideas will come, that my characters will step onto the pages and speak my dialogue, live and love and work in the worlds I build for them.

To me, Imagine and Believe have similar connotations.

Imagine is softer, more dream-like. Believe is a stronger, more active word. ‘Believe’ is a challenge for me to accept or decline. The choice is mine…