Mid-2021 Check In

My journey through the first half of this year has been crazy. January was when I truly launched this blog and began writing posts here twice a week. I haven’t been able to stay super consistent, but so many people have been reading these posts and it’s been keeping me going.

Lit&Leta has given me so much motivation to find my identity outside of school. The posts I wrote titled “Why I Quit the Bachelor of Education: And What Comes Next” and “Becoming Myshara Leta: Hopes and Dreams” both helped me to process and understand my identity. Everything that I wrote in that later post is true: I am a writer, a future mother, and a homemaker. I am contented. But more than that, I am thriving. I have beautiful silver hair coming in at my temples—though I’m only twenty-three—and I see them as a symbol of becoming myself. I didn’t have them six-months ago. They are a sign that the stress is over for now. That I can move.

The longer I spend outside of post-secondary school, the more I realize it isn’t necessary. True, I am extremely grateful for my education and the knowledge that I gained from it, but I didn’t need to continue. Each day that goes by reminds me I chose right. I was not made to be a teacher. I’m here to write about books, write books, and take care of my family.

Now for what I’ve accomplished in the last six months and what I hope to accomplish in the next six months. I am not trying to brag, I’m only updating those who want to know and keeping a record of things to keep myself accountable.

How far through my yearly goal am I? I’ve read 59/75 books for my Goodreads goal.

How many books do I predict I will read by Dec 31, 2021? I think I’ll be able to read around 120/75.

How many books have I read each month?

• January: 9

• February: 9

• March: 7

• April: 6

• May: 13

• June: 15

What was my highest rated/lowest rated and why? I’ve read a lot of five-star books this year (I’m not stingy about ratings), but I think that A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas wins this one. The emotion in that book and Nesta’s character both win it over for me. My lowest rated book would be The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I didn’t find this book as interesting as I thought I would. I slugged my way through it and came out the other side, feeling like I wasted the hour and a half it took to read it. Though I have taken a lot of literature classes, I’m not overly fond of most literary works. However, I highly suggest reading The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway instead. It’s a great novel.

Why won’t I change my yearly goal for books even though I see myself passing it? It’s important to me to find serotonin wherever I can. One of those places is my Goodreads goal and being able to see exactly how much I’m kicking my goal’s butt. That’s also why I don’t give myself a huge goal each year. I want to do better than the goal. This year I became a homemaker and writer full-time, so I knew that 75 books wouldn’t be unreasonable and I would most likely be able to read more than that.

Do I think I’m on track to finish the first draft of “Fem Wiz” by Dec 31, 2021? If I can finish plotting everything by beat and then by scene by the end of July and have 50,000 written by the end of August, I believe that the momentum will propel me forwards to finish the draft by the end of the year. I want to publish next year and I need to get my butt in gear so that I can make that happen.

Will I be able to write a few short stories and begin putting together a collection by Dec 31, 2021?  I desperately hope so. I think it would display my writing talent in an accessible format and give me the confirmation that I am an actual writer of many things. Also, I have two short stories written already that I think are crazy good. I can’t believe that I wrote them.

What other goals do I have? I have personal goals, like weight loss and eating healthier. No details on those for all the reasons. I honestly can’t think of any other major goals in my life right now. I’m trying to focus on myself, my writing and reading goals, and my mental health (which includes physical health). That’s all I need.

That’s about it for this mid-year check in. I’m sure that I’m forgetting something that I should have included, but I do enough updates in my monthly TBR and wrap-up posts I think you’ll keep up to speed about all the important things. I’m excited about the next half of this year. Restrictions are easing up and the world is settling into a new rhythm. The future is bright. Allow yourself to believe it, especially if you haven’t this past year and a half. The future is bright.