For this, Good Weekend's final issue of the year, we wanted to try something different, putting the focus on personal writing that would warm your soul for summer, in an issue you might feel inclined to hold onto for those lazy days at the beach. So in place of the usual features and columns, we invited 10 top Australian writers to reflect on an aspect of this year as 2018 draws to a close.

Their non-fictional musings could be about subjects big or small, public or private – the key was to write about something in the year that amused, upset, engaged or otherwise moved them. We approached writers across many genres, with a bias towards those who've published a lauded book this year. Some are well-established novelists, others debut authors.

Their essays are wonderfully varied in subject matter but uniformly moving – in some cases, they'll bring you to tears. A heartfelt thank you to the 10 writers who accepted our invitation with such enthusiasm and good grace.

Thanks also to you, our readers, for your support and feedback this year, and to the small but hard-working team who puts together Good Weekend each week. That team will now retreat beachside, with our first issue back on January 19, 2019. - Katrina Strickland, Good Weekend Editor