Somewhere between sharing Ludwig-filtered snaps of my library book to whole days dedicated to shooting content, I forgot the pure joy of writing about the words I’ve devoured.
I started blogging before Bookstagram existed and when BookTok was still nearly a decade away from influencing whole publishing trends.
Don’t get me wrong. I never stopped being obsessed with my never-ending TBR pile or discussing the plot twists and character arcs of my recent reads. But often, when you make something a thing, for lack of a better word, some of the fun drips away.
My blog grew entirely out of my desire to fit in. I started a free WordPress blog because everyone I was friends with on Goodreads had one. I’d like to pretend there was more to it than that. But I was 17, living on-campus in my first few months of university, and it seemed like this secret club for only the extremely cool book nerds (an oxymoron?) to take part in.
For someone with undiagnosed anxiety, starting university was a lot. Even though I, naturally, refused to admit it was a lot because I was so fine!!!! no, really!
That early writing was surely nothing short of cringe, but I feel so much nostalgia and love for the reader who was blooming with each post.
I had stumbled across this whole virtual world of word nerds, and my reading list was expanded beyond the small collection at my high school library and the back catalogue of my five favourite writers.
Blogging, and later podcasting, introduced me to new friends, new writers, new ideas.
My friend Alicia describes Substack as more than a newsletter, not quite a blog. It’s the space for conversation and community so many of us are craving after years of curating our lives into Instagrammable snapshots.
When we moved to the UK for two years in 2019, The Unfinished Bookshelf evolved into a business. Books didn’t really fit into that, although they’ve never not been an enormous part of my life and personality.
At the start of the year, a decade on from starting my book blog, I finally rebranded my business and settled on a new name.
Word By Word Storytelling feels so beautifully me, but I do miss the simple, uncomplicated time I spent writing about books. No strategy. No marketing. No attempts at viral videos. Just me putting words on the page about words on the page.
So, that’s what this is.
A little side project I’d like to keep a side project. Something fun. A place where we can talk about what we’re reading, the themes in those books and our love of getting lost in literature.
I really don’t know exactly what this will look like yet. I can’t promise to send emails every week just yet (I’ll be aiming for a gentle fortnightly pace). I don’t know if I’ll feel the pressure to set up a shot just right so I can share a picture of the book/s I’m chatting about. I don’t think I’ll revive Instagram because it’s really the last place I want to be.
So if you are joining me on the journey and subscribing, well, thanks a million for being here.
If you want some more traditional recommendations (where I will literally just say why you should read a book), then you could listen to the podcast I co-host, Better Words. My bestie Caitlin and I share things we think you should read and chat with authors about their books and publishing journeys.
So, let’s give this Substack thing a go, shall we? (Bookstack, if you will. Please know I hate the fact I couldn’t resist that!)
Until next time, happy reading.