What Was YOUR Best Piece of Writing in 2009?

Dec 29, 2009

By Mary Jaksch

If we’re to improve as writers, we need to catch a glimpse of our writing at its best. I suggest that you look through what you wrote in 2009 and pick out the best piece. It might not be a complete post, article, or chapter. It might only be one paragraph, or even just one sentence.

Read it as if it was written by someone else.

Are you surprised?

Did you know you could write so well?

Here is your chance to celebrate with everyone at WTD: please give us a link to your best stuff, or just cut and paste your best sentence or paragraph into the comments. Let’s cheer each other on!

I can’t wait to see what you come up with…

Mary Jaksch is a Zen Master and the Chief Editor of Write to Done. Read more on her blog Goodlife Zen and book a place on her upcoming FREE Virtual Zen Retreat The Miracle of Kindness

64 Comments, Comment or Ping

Ananga

Thanks for this thought provoking exercise.

One of my favourite posts of 2009 was “Present Moment Awareness: Lessons from Dogs on Being Here Now”

Having just read through it with new eyes, I liked this clip:
“If we are not present moment by moment in our lives then we are not actually living our lives, we are merely drifting on autopilot and we are missing everything. We miss the chance to connect deeply with those around us, and the vital opportunity to develop the unique potential that comes with a human birth – to explore and grow our spiritual self.”

http://tiny.cc/aLquc

Though I’m not really comfortable patting my own back and I’m sure others could have said it better, I felt it conveyed my passion for consciously living in awareness.

Thank you for a great year of posts, I look forward to reading more in 2010.

Dec 29th, 2009
David Turnbull

Definitely an article I wrote about how to write effortlessly and overcome writer’s block. I knocked out around 3800 words in under 2 hours, and the whole process felt so seamless.

Plus I don’t think I’ve ever written so many words while maintaining coherence and a sense of flow. Just very proud of it.

You can read the article at: http://www.davidturnbull.com/effortless-writing-overcome-writers-block-words-flow-rekindle-love-craft/

Dec 29th, 2009
Hilary

Hi Mary .. thanks for this idea. I know I can definitely improve and need to work out my niche for my new project – this one about the Babaco fruit I enjoyed writing, particularly the first sentence ..

http://positiveletters.blogspot.com/2009/07/champagne-fruit-anyone.html

“Where will you find a hint of strawberries, pineapple, papaya, passion fruit, clear peach with an aromatic scent, an effervescent flesh, producing a powerful fragrant perfume once it reaches ripeness – encouraging you to cut into it to reach its elixir – in a Babaco?”

It definitely brings back the scent of the fruit last tasted over 20 years ago!

Enjoy 2010 – and have fun – all the best
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Dec 29th, 2009
Mary Jaksch

Thanks Ananga, I like your piece.

Are you patting your own back? No! Not at all. You’re celebrating your inspiration – and we are celebrating with you. I think inspiration doesn’t belong to us – it just flows through us.

And there are moments when we are able to get out of the way and just let inspiration flow into words.

Dec 29th, 2009
Cory O'Brien

You’re always your own worst critic, so it’s hard to pick out something you’ve written and say that it’s the best, but going back through the posts I wrote in ‘09, I was probably the most satisfied with the intro I wrote for a post about a viral video:

“Viral videos aren’t usually made, they’re chosen, but the second Gymkhana video from Ken Block and DC Shoes was born to be viral.” (Rest of the post: http://bit.ly/8Pg0i8)

I’m not sure what stands out so strongly for me, but I love the structure of that sentence, and the play on the song title at the end. I also think that it makes a strong statement on its own, but also draws the reader into the rest of the article for more info.

As always though, lots of room for growth in 2010, so I look forward to more posts that challenge me to redefine what I consider my ‘best’ work.

Dec 29th, 2009
Shang Lee

i think i’ll have to choose this post, work hard or work smart? it begins with my experience with Tai Chi but ended up with something applicable to whatever we do. I did not know about the conclusion before I wrote it, so it was a “flow” writing. Flow is hard to come by. :) Thanks for the timely post.

Dec 29th, 2009
Seth @Happenchance

Hello Mary, thanks opening up the comments for everyone to share their work. I’ve enjoyed reading the posts from Anang, David and Hilary.

My favorite post of this year was “How to Remove Physical Barriers to Creating Amazing Things.” Why is it my favorite? Because it’s a super-useful piece that my readers really liked.

You can read it at http://www.happenchance.net/removing-barriers-to-creating-amazing-things/

Happy New Year everyone!

Dec 29th, 2009
Suparna

Hi Mary,

Its nice to come across your blog and this topic in particular.

I have started a blog of my own, where I write about things that makes me thoughtful and helps me focus on things that often goes unnoticed. Below is the link of an article, which according to me is thought provoking.

http://suparna-sen.blogspot.com/2009/12/animal-cruelty.html

Dec 29th, 2009
Tami

Not an easy challenge, especially for someone with a lot of writing projects!

I’m not sure if the following excerpt is necessarily my “best” writing, but it’s one of my favorites.

“Are you a [Noun]? THEN [Verb]!

Don’t talk about [Verb]ing. Don’t think about [Verb]ing. Don’t complain about how hard it is to [Verb]. Stop thinking that you’ll [Verb] someday, or procrastinate because you can always [Verb] later.”

http://tamimoore.com/2009/nouns-verb/
^ Full Post

What a great, positive exercise. Writers and artists (and humans) of all stripes tend to focus on the negative – the things we didn’t accomplish or do as well as we’d hoped. Sometimes we need a little push to remind us that we’re not just failbots – we actually succeed beyond our expectations pretty often.

I hope everyone who participates finds this to be a difficult challenge, because you like so much of what you wrote this year. <3

Dec 29th, 2009
Srinivas Rao

Wow, what a cool way for everybody to share their best work and gain exposure to everybody else. I wrote a piece on affirmations and personal development called “How often do you decide not to brush your teeth?”

http://theskooloflife.com/wordpress/how-often-do-you-decide-not-to-brush-your-teeth/

Dec 29th, 2009
Jorge Quinteros

The one piece I’m mostly proud about for 2009 is one entry entitled The Purpose to Travel where I talk about my never ending excitement in exploring new places but mostly importantly on some aspects that I believe travelers should take more into consideration so that they can appreciate their destinations even more.

Dec 29th, 2009
Kelly Lynn Thomas

I agree with Tami, this is definitely a breath of fresh air! I’ve done a lot of writing this year, so like everyone else it was hard to choose my “best.” I think the best sentence I wrote is probably from a prose poem, but unfortunately I can’t post that here because I’ve already sent it off to literary journals.

So, rather than my best sentence/piece, I’ll share my best idea, which is a blog focusing on original metafiction and commentary on every kind of meta there is: fiction, nonfiction, music, even journalism. I only started this month, but I’m excited about my idea to turn my two dogs into characters in a fun, whimsical, episodic story where the moon is a storyteller (I update weekly, so the first episode will be up January 4th, although I’ve already written it). If you’re interested, you can find some commentary up already at: http://narrativeintheblog.wordpress.com

I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone else’s best, it’s definitely challenged me to keep improving and keep writing!

Dec 29th, 2009
Kelly Lynn Thomas

I agree with Tami, this is definitely a breath of fresh air! I’ve done a lot of writing this year, so like everyone else it was hard to choose my “best.” I think the best sentence I wrote is probably from a prose poem, but unfortunately I can’t post that here because I’ve already sent it off to literary journals.

So, rather than my best sentence/piece, I’ll share my best idea, which is a blog focusing on original metafiction and commentary on every kind of meta there is: fiction, nonfiction, music, even journalism. I only started this month, but I’m excited about my idea to turn my two dogs into characters in a fun, whimsical, episodic story where the moon is a storyteller (I update weekly, so the first episode will be up January 4th, although I’ve already written it). If you’re interested, you can find some commentary up already at: http://narrativeintheblog.wordpress.com

I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone else’s best, it’s definitely challenged me to keep improving and keep writing!

(Sorry if this winds up posting twice, I’m having some trouble…)

Dec 29th, 2009
Jeremy

Great idea. To reflect on ones work is something that I don’t think we do often enough. I certainly don’t that’s for sure. I had this little bit published on a local cycling site. It was what came to me when a thought popped into my head.

http://jeromes-bikes.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-cycling-state-of-mind.html

Happy new year to all! May peace abound.

Cheers.

Dec 29th, 2009
ami | 40daystochange

Thanks for the opportunity to share!

I had a lot of fun writing Setting Outrageous Goals, part 2 – Don’t Set Goals that Suck

I had fun with it, I made myself (and at least one reader) laugh, and, hopefully, I helped some people with their goal setting for next year:

http://wp.me/pEVt5-7e

Dec 29th, 2009
Julie - Big Girl Bombshell

Thanks for the invite to share. This is an inspiring way to share

I think one of my best posts was 6 Reasons Why Blogging is like Dieting

http://www.biggirlbombshell.com/2009/11/6-reasons-why-blogging-is-like-dieting.html

I do go through those phases of Why my writing is improving. This was a fun post for me to write.

Thanks again

Dec 29th, 2009
KD

I think that my last column for Officer.com this year http://officer.com/web/online/On-the-Street/Proudly-A-Patrolman/21$49801 because it was written from the heart and seemingly wrote itself.

KD

Dec 29th, 2009
Jennifer Blanchard

My best piece(s) of writing in 2009 was my “Making Writing a Priority” series…which started with a post called: Learn to Accept Responsibility for Your Choices and Actions http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/08/learning-to-accept-responsibility-for-yourself/ (there are links to the other two posts in the series at the bottom of this post).

Happy New Year writers!

Dec 29th, 2009
Trish Barton

My best piece comes from challenging myself to write a poem a day in 2009. It was quite a challenge becauses I don’t ordinarily write poetry! I really tested my ability to stretch myself outside of my writing comfort zone. Because I don’t have a link to my personal poetry, here is a short one for you to read. Thank you for this opportunity. Love this blog!

I Don’t Want to Remember

It hurts to remember you
because I want you here.

I don’t want
to remember your smile,
I want to kiss it before it fades away.

I don’t want
to remember your kiss,
I want to taste it on my lips.

I don’t want
to remember your laugh,
I want to hear it fill our house.

I don’t want
to remember your sound
I want to feel its tickles on my ear.

I don’t want
to remember your touch
I want to feel its warmth on my skin.

I don’t want
to remember your warmth.
I want its blanket to cover me in our bed.

I don’t want to remember you.
I want you here.

~ Dedicated to my sister who recently lost her husband of 28 years to End Stage Renal Disease

Dec 29th, 2009
Spideymang

Well my best post was when I show to my readers some artcraft of Milky, the pet of the video Coffe & TV by the band Blur.

This post causes a good impression for many readers, and this is the link, please check it out: http://www.mimundoazul.net/blog/?p=266

Greetings!!

Sorry if my English is not good enough, I’m from Mexico City

Dec 29th, 2009
Spideymang

In addition of the last comment, I put a translation method in the blog for all the readers that are interested in knowing what I wrote but doesnt know Spanish very well.

Have a nice day!!!

Dec 29th, 2009
Jenny

My favorite post was a guest post I did titled, “Single is not a problem that needs to be fixed.” I really enjoyed writing this because after 2.5 years on the dating scene, it was something I felt passionate about and something I thought could help others put things in perspective in their own lives.

http://www.shiteilike.com/single-is-not-a-problem-that-needs-to-be-fixed/

Dec 29th, 2009
Jackbid

Here is an article I had written recently…

Study Architecture | Challenging and Fun – http://www.architecture-student.com/architecture/study-architecture-challenge-fun/

It is not really as good as it could have been. But I’ll improve…

Cheers!

Dec 29th, 2009
Charlotte Rains Dixon

My best piece of writing was my novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior, currently being considered by an agent. I did eight rewrites of that baby and was finally satisfied enough with it to send it out.

Dec 29th, 2009
Ciawy

I just started writing and my favorite piece is about my take on Zen Habits’ article about finding passion.

http://runworkandsave.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-29T15:11:00-08:00&max-results=1

It’s a exercise that Leo encouraged the readers to do, and I was able to make a piece out of it.

Dec 29th, 2009
Ross Bentley

I’m not a great judge of my own writing, but based on feedback the best blog I wrote this year is at http://performance-rules.com/performance/high-speed-learning/. As with most good stuff, it wrote itself – it was an easy piece to write. And fun.

Thank you for the great exercise!

Dec 29th, 2009
John McDevitt

Thanks for the opportunity Mary. This is a tough one. Here’s a recent quote of mine: “A successful B&W image isn’t simply the absence of color, it’s the presence of something more…”

I’ve written a lot this past year and that’s a good thing. Here’s the link to one of my favorites “Poke Yourself When Your Dragon’s Draggin’:

http://awarewriter.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/poke-yourself-when-your-dragons-draggin/

John

Dec 29th, 2009
Carrie

I think my best writing by far, possibly because it was so heartfelt and authentically inspired was a birthday poem I wrote for my little brother for his 30th birthday. Or the post on John Lennon:

http://maia1111.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/anniversary-of-the-death-of-john-lennon/

Seth’s Birfday Poem

Since you came out of mama’s womb
And made me share the stage
I’ve always felt protective
From just one day of age

Before we picked you up
We stopped at IHOP for a bite
My pancake bore a toothpick flag
U.S., two inches high

On the bumpy journey home
I asked to hold you in my lap
But mama wouldn’t let me
She thought you’d break or take a crap!

One night at dinner
You were screaming I was quite distraught
I yelled to mama “Fix him, fix him!”
Hard for you I fought

It’s true at times I tortured you
With tales of your adoption
Smirks at dinner
Bedboard taps
All of these were options

Conspiring with the sitter to tie you
For Thriller with M.J.
Vince Price would give you fortitude
We thought – Basement Style, P.A.

Some might draw the line
At the hairspray incident
But I claim it brought us closer
Cause this is how it went:

You kicked my door in such a rage
All because some urination
There, at once, appeared a dent
A pact borne of the altercation…

Damage to the property, we thought
Could Never be good
So we sealed our lips up tight
Covered up with posters, silence understood

Though observers on the outside
Might find such debacles cruel
It’s really only half of it
For good times were had too!

When we’d get bored of war games
We’d go impish, hyper, haywire
We’d drive the parents nuts
Until they promised funeral pyres

That time I ripped your jeans
And our mouths hung wide agape
We tried to iron but burned the floor
Dad said, “Marcia is an ape!”

What about the time you
Refused to leave my room
And held on tight?
You were parallel to the floor as I
Tried to extricate with all my might

Then, at once, the tailboard snapped
And we knew we had to fix it
Through covert operations
We began, Dad’s tools undid it

We knew we couldn’t get in trouble
Problem had been undone
When Dad saw the fixin’ job
We were vice-gripped, ‘n that’s not a pun

We looked at him in askance
And he said as he examined the glue,
“This showed some ingenuity
So I’m not gonna punish you two!”

Great Success! Come on, High Five!
Quite a team us two
This made up for all those times
We made each other blue!

We came, we saw, we conquered
All that sibling rivalry
In fact, we turned it on its head
And made it camaraderie

You’ll always be my fav’rite bro
Though you seem much older
You always take good care of me
Don’t think you could get much golder

I’m sorry for my foibles
All those times I let you down
Please know it’s not because of you
Cuz you da coolest dude in town

I wish I could’ve been there for your party decades three
But that’s ok, the years to come
We’ll celebrate, you and me

I don’t want to close this poem
Without an ode to mom and dad
Thanks so much for making Seth
He couldn’t be more rad!

And now I’m really wrapping up
I promise you this time
You’re a Siblingsman
Of the highest mark
To know you is sublime

Don’t forget it, getta big head
Or question it when you’re blue
The fact remains, thru thick and thin
This sister will always love you

Dec 29th, 2009
Ryan

After reviewing this year’s posts, I noticed there’s a difference between the most popular posts and the ones I consider the best. ha!

but this one was liked by many:
http://dreamstudies.org/2009/08/31/how-to-incubate-a-dream/

thanks Mary!

Dec 29th, 2009
Larry

Mary — cool idea. Fun to read all these wonderful pieces.

Actually, my favorite project of the year was the article that’s going to run here on your site as a guest post within the next week or so. But that’s 2010, so I guess I can’t go there now.

With over 300 online articles completed and posted this year, not only on my site but on many others, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I guess that’s a good thing. Since they’re all so darn serious, I’m thinking my fav is one that takes on a completely different tone and subject, even though it was for a totally serious client whose site is all about male hormone management.. It’s called “The Twins — An Ode to Dangling Body Parts.” Here’s the link… enjoy!

http://storyfix.com/the-twins-an-ode-to-dangling-body-parts

Dec 30th, 2009
Laura Cococcia | The Journal of Cultural Conversation

Thank you for the invitation! As an avid, obsessed reader, I took a look at whether or not we can truly read 1001 books before we die, based on the compilation. I aim to try but in case I (or we) don’t, I offered some additional creative ideas for those trying to build their book list / looking to create their own lifelong reading journey.

http://www.thejcconline.com/is-it-possible-to-read-1001-books-before-you-die/

Dec 30th, 2009
Chris

My best was probably How a Small Town Kid Can Soar. Swinging Bridge, which you’ll find in a link was a close second.

Dec 30th, 2009
Eric C

Probably the piece I wrote for Write to Done two weeks ago, The Golden Rule of Writing. Thanks again for the guest posting opportunity Mary.

Dec 30th, 2009
sui

Ahh, a little sad that I don’t remember writing much of anything this year, especially not after my hard drive crashed with all of my writing on it. But picking from the choices of the latter half of the year (which are still meager), this one… not necessarily pride-inducing or spectacular, but I chose to open up about something that was once my biggest secret and considered it a milestone in my journey in honesty.

http://s.rvxn.org/2009/11/15/a-story/

Dec 30th, 2009
Andy Chilton

Back in February, I had a nice bit of inspiration for my blog post about Personal Finance being a Journey rather than a destination:

http://www.chilts.org/retire-at-40/personal-finance-is-not-a-destination-its-a-journey.html

Have fun reading :)

Dec 30th, 2009
Jessica

Great idea! Thanks for the prompt.

My favourite piece of writing was a ‘teaser’ I wrote for a novel idea. I wrote it as a ‘colour palette’ to capture the mood of the larger piece. I think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever written. My favourite line was: His skin stuck to the stone like a tongue to ice.

As far as blog posts, this is my favourite (written from the perspective of my Creativity):
http://creativitysworkshop.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/meeting-your-own-creativity/

Dec 30th, 2009
Darni

That’s mine :) Think Outside the Box

Dec 30th, 2009
Carlos in Fabula

It’s about the misconceptions about the recession in general. I think it helped many people to understand the process at a deeper level…

http://carlosinfabula.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/a-healthier-take-on-this-recession-thing/

Dec 30th, 2009
Steve

I turned, taking the scent of vanilla and cigarette smoke with me, wanting it to last forever. I reached the door, pushed at the handle one final time, hoping to hell it would be locked, unable to be open forever. It opened, and a dim, gray, overcast sky accompanied by fresh air hit me. I walked out the door, leaving it open, and started a slow walk, hoping she’d call me back. Instead, the door closed softly.

I turned once, looked back. There was a huge, empty space in front of the store, and the distance between it and I seemed miles.

It couldn’t — wouldn’t — end like this. She was my best friend, she was my worst association. She was my happiest times, she was my worst experiences. I would always remember her. Maybe in time the pangs of loss would dissipate, but right now it didn’t seem like they ever would. But through it all, one thing would always remain certain:

Knowing her was the best thing in my life.

Dec 30th, 2009
Darcy Pattison

One of my most popular posts on Fiction Notes this year was 30 Days to a Stronger Novel.

Thanks for asking! It’s fun to share.
Darcy Pattison

Dec 30th, 2009
Michelle @ Following Your Joy

Hi Mary,

Thanks so much for encouraging us to focus on–and celebrate–the good stuff! What a treat.

The premise behind my “Following Your Joy” blog is that the more you follow the things in life that make you come alive and bring you joy, the more that life becomes magical. I’ve seen it happen over and over again in my own life and also in the lives of my clients!

I recently wrote an article about the experience my husband and I had on a nude beach on our honeymoon: http://www.followingyourjoy.com/living-out-loud/just-another-day-on-the-nude-beach. Not only did it elicit a lot of laughter and joy for others…but it will soon be published in a premier Caribbean magazine! So I thought I’d include that as my best piece of writing. :)

Thank you so much for the opportunity! Best wishes to you for a fantastic 2010.

Warmly,
Michelle

Dec 30th, 2009
Lori Stanley Roeleveld

This was my best piece this year – I bled out onto the blog as I wrote it but it was worth it! It’s called I Am Useless (how it feels to be a writer in a world of people who can actually do things).

http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-am-useless.html

I would love your feedback!

Dec 30th, 2009
Jason Cohen

You’re a little company, now act like one.

http://blog.asmartbear.com/youre-a-little-company-now-act-like-one.html

Dec 30th, 2009
Marianne

I’m no writer, but maybe someday I can call myself one. I just started blogging a few months ago. I can’t pick out anything in particular that I liked. It sure is easy to find stuff I don’t like though. There’s something I wrote on social media that is just awful. My thoughts were all over the place and it shows.

Dec 30th, 2009
Icy Sedgwick

I’m actually really glad for this post because it’s really made me re-evaluate the things I’ve written this year! But of everything I’ve written, I think it’s The City’s True Face of which I’m most proud.

Dec 30th, 2009
Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Warning: New Step Mom Taking the Stage
http://www.peaceandprojects.com/blog/2009/10/warning-new-step-mom-taking-the-stage/

Dec 30th, 2009
Sass

I am never 100% happy with my writing, but there are glimmers of inspiration and I sometimes wonder where those words come from. Really me? Or some muse who is just using me as an instrument? I can pull sentences from a lot of my writing, but this year, this blog post was probably my favourite – my inspiration in this case was Budapest, a wonderful, beautiful city:

*As soon as I take the Metro from Keleti train station to the centre of the city, I start to experience a strange sensation. On assessment it is akin to falling in love, with a tingling sensation in my stomach, a giddy feeling in my head, and a bittersweet excitement that makes me want to laugh and cry and dance all at once. I feel as though I have inhaled some kind of euphoric drug, as though I’ve gone slightly mad. My hostel (The Red Bus) is housed within a faded beauty of a building. Imposing windows and black steel staircases all with an air of proud and disdainful dilapidation. It reminds me of Rome and Venice and the dirtily glamorous fall-down buildings, all sinking into noble disrepair. I feel like I should respond in kind to this building, show some glamour, perhaps strut languidly with a cigarette in its holder, wearing a 1940s get-up. The building must find it tiresome to home straggle-haired and combat-trussed travellers who hang off of the balconies swearing and kissing, flinging fag butts down spiralling staircases and dropping food wrappers in their wake.*

http://travellingwithmoles.blogspot.com/2009_10_25_archive.html

Thanks for everyone’s contributions, very interesting and motivational to read!

Dec 30th, 2009
Bamboo Forest - PunIntended

An article that I wrote which I feel is the best I’ve done is titled:

A Rushing River is The Ultimate Metaphor For a Wise Life

Link: http://punintended.com/what-can-you-learn-from-a-rushing-river/

Dec 30th, 2009
Forrest Snyder

The writing of which I am most proud was written for Memorial Day and is entitled “I am a Soldier”. It begins:

“I am a soldier.

Long ago, I raised my right hand and swore to protect and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, to bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and to obey the orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed over me.

Nothing has released me from my oath even though it’s over a quarter century since I last wore a uniform. Nothing ever will.

For better or for worse, I am a soldier.”

You can read it in its entirety at http://flashesoftheobvious.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-am-soldier.html

Jan 1st, 2010
Nathan Williams

Thanks for this self-test. It was good to review my writing over the past year.

I write Bible-based posts each day, and I chose this one as a favorite:

Another Thought on Desk-Building
http://www.mandevillechurch.org/?p=4

Jan 1st, 2010
Roia

Thank you for this generous opportunity to share our writing. I have enjoyed reading through all of the posted blogs and writings- things I might otherwise have never known to read.

I’d like to share a post from my blog about my work as a music therapist:http://mindfulmusictherapist.blogspot.com/2009/04/after-youve-gone-and-left-me-crying.html

Jan 1st, 2010
KellieS

Thank you for suggesting that we look at our 2009 writing. By doing so I found some good, some bad, and a couple of pieces that I really liked. Among the best was this article I wrote about hope.

http://www.womenslifelink.com/fortunate-friday-hope/

Jan 1st, 2010
Kate Huang

What a wonderful idea, Mary. Here we are, sharing our writing and thoughts from different conors of the world. It will be nice to do it once a year.

My favorite piece from 2009 is a note inspired by a phone message between me and a friend about “time”. I’m posting here in both English and Chinese.
—————————————————————————————————–

You once said “In competition with time, it always celebrates it’s victory proudly.”
I said “My dear friend, time does not compete and it is not proud. It is human who haven’t learned to be humble.”

When we are bored, we try to kill time.
When we are rushed, we try to chase time.
When we are aged, we try to fight time…
Time walks in it’s own pace, from chaos through eternity.
It doesn’t get beyond, it doesn’t get behind,
it does not compete, how can it be proud?
It is a constant phenomenon that
can not change, and can not be changed.
Once we learn to coexist peacefully with time,
then we will see,
it moves on with us,
takes us away from where we don’t want to be,
send us to where we want to reach.

Time, is a conforting constant in life.

你曾說”時間總是在競逐中驕傲地慶祝她的勝利”
我說”親愛的朋友，時間它不競逐，也不驕傲；而是人們尚未學會謙卑”

無聊的時候，我們殺時間，
匆忙的時候，我們趕時間，
年老的時候，我們抵抗時間…
從渾沌到永恆，時間以自己的步調行進著，
從不超前，亦不落後，
既不競逐，怎能驕傲?
它是恆常的現象，
不會改變，也不被改變。
當我們學會與時間平和共處時，
我們將會了解，
它與我們一起前進，
帶我們遠離不悅的境地
送我們抵達想望的地方

時間，是令人安心的恆常。

Jan 1st, 2010
AndyAndersen

This is a great idea. I hardly ever take the time to go back and re-read what I wrote earlier. But after your post I will try decide what I would consider my best…and why! Thanks for your great blog. You have helped me. Cheers.

Jan 2nd, 2010
The Different Drummer Soundtrack

Thanks for getting me thinking about this. The best post I wrote this year talked about what it is like to have untreated sleep apnea. It can be found at http://www.thedifferentdrummer.net/the-different-drummer-journal/2009/2/8/miles-to-go-before-i-sleep-part-2.html.

Jan 2nd, 2010
mk akan

i just started posting on my blog but i think i still have what i can call my best post.it is titled:

2 great blogging tips from a music legend,Wyclef

http://mkakan.com/2-great-blogging-tips-from-a-music-legendwyclef/

Jan 2nd, 2010
andy @ The Movie Scene

Writing movie reviews makes it a bit hard to chose what was my favourite piece because often my feelings towards a movie will reflect in the writing. The piece which I found easiest to write and for me flowed most naturaly was a review I did on Under the Tuscan Sun. It’s a review which I still enjoy reading from time to time and use to motivate myself when I am struggling for words.

Jan 3rd, 2010
Claudia

I liked this little ending of a post:

Loving suspension points today…

just like my practice, very …

(http://earthyogi.blogspot.com/2009/07/aparently-i-am-soooo-predictable.html)

Jan 3rd, 2010
Summer

My best piece of writing in 2009 is undoubtedly one or two passages in the novel – the first of a new series “Hunters of Men”. I have hopes of publishing them one of these days so I cannot share on the Internet at the moment. I can only say that when I get out of my own way, sometimes I astound myself.

Jan 3rd, 2010
David Smith

My best piece of writing this year, or at least my favorite, was a fictional piece about a raccoon’s search for meaning, “Bad Boy Brook”. http://a1audiovideo.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/bad-boy-brook

Jan 4th, 2010
Sonya

“If you want to write a publishable piece of fiction, you need to write lots of unpublishable rubbish first. Things you would never admit you wrote.”

I had the idea of looking for my best blog post of 2009 yesterday and when I found this post today I just had to comment. Didn’t take me long to find a blog post that still resonates strongly with me because I didn’t write much last year. Turns out I wrote more after I penned these sentences in June, though.

Jan 4th, 2010
Mary Jaksch

There is a treasure trove in the comments to my post. I’m delighted to see good writers honing their skills!

Here’s a challenge to you all:

I’m interested in a guest post about these comments – along the lines of ‘What WTD Readers Write’. Anyone want to tackle that?

If you are, email me here: writetodone[at]gmail[dot]com

PS Please don’t be nervous about approaching me about a guest post. I’m always happy to train new guest posters.

Jan 4th, 2010
Tom Salzer

As I eyeball the things I wrote in 2009, I conclude two things: I did not write as much as I expected to write, and I wallowed in memories of the past.

The one retrospective piece that I’m most happy with is at http://www.tomsalzer.net/2009/01/what-value-intuition.html

But I wouldn’t say I’m happy with, just more happy than my other posts!

The good news? I have plenty of room for improvement :-)

Jan 4th, 2010
Daniela Caride

Don’t know if it’s my best piece, but that one really touched me. It’s about meditating with my ginger cat, Crosby. Hope you like it.

http://www.thedailytail.com/nonfiction/purr-purr/

Jan 17th, 2010