2023 is now finished and wow, what a year it was. I’ve had ups and downs, new jobs, new friends, international and local travel, anniversary celebrations, milestone birthdays, time spent with family, time spent grieving, and so much more, but easily one of the most consistent highlights for me has been diving head-first into this obsessive reading hobby, which has morphed into so much more.

When I began Forests and Fiction last January, I didn’t have enormous aspirations. I wanted a blog to rave about the books I was reading and wanted a little corner of creativity that was pressure-free and enjoyable on Instagram. I’ve been able to explore both of these areas, and I can’t stress enough the positive impacts I’ve received as a result. Some of the coolest things that have come out of this year include:

• I started getting advanced reader copies of book releases that I’m excited for
• I received my first-ever publisher book package
• I connected with multiple authors whose work I reviewed and had the opportunity to thank them for writing awesome stuff
• I got to serve as an influencer for a Canadian company doing really awesome bookish merch

How cool is all of this?! I feel lucky that enough people have resonated with what I do that I’ve been able to secure some of these opportunities, and I’m excited about how much more I want to do in 2024. 

There are a handful of things I feel like I’ve learned over the past year that have made me a better blogger, bookstragrammer, and member of the bookish community. Here are the core things I feel like I’ve learned the most:

• It’s not just about reviews—it’s about community

I love writing reviews, but what I love even more is engaging with the people who are reading them. I love hearing from people who also read the book I’m gushing about, or having people tell me they read something because I recommended it. I love when someone slides into my DMs and we get to geek out together about a book or, occasionally, mutually complain about a disappointment. 

When I first started my blog and my bookstagram, it felt a little bit like screaming into a void, but now I have this wonderful little community that gets as excited about books and reading as I do, and having these little nerdy conversations often ends up being one of the highlights of my day. If you’re working on your bookstagram, make sure to respond to all your comments, reach out to others when you love what they’ve written, and create your own little community of book nerds. It makes the space so much more enjoyable when it’s a two-way dialogue.

• You don’t need a perfectly aesthetic photo to post, you just need to find a repeatable method of showcasing books that works for you 

My blog and bookstagram have allowed me to flex creative muscles that have long been out of use, but it was a bit of a bumpy start trying to translate my vision for this project into a reality. I started my blog and bookstagram with a really clear idea of how I wanted to present my writing and my thoughts on books, and that vision involved connecting reading with my enjoyment of the outdoors. I spent a lot of time in the woods trying to stage aesthetic-looking photos because I was afraid the concept of Forests and Fiction wouldn’t be clear if I wasn’t constantly associating the two with each other. While I love the outdoors, this quickly became unsustainable (especially as the weather turned to -30) and I had to adapt and evolve, both to save myself from frostbite and to ensure that I could continue reading and writing without feeling trapped in a creative concept I was finding increasingly difficult to work with. 

I spent probably half the year testing and trying various ways of taking aesthetic photos outdoors before I came up with a new theme that allowed me to stage books indoors, giving me way more flexibility in how and when I could take pictures. I’ve managed to incorporate forest-like elements, but I no longer feel boxed into finding new locations and capturing my books in the exact right light, with the exact right weather, at the exact right time of day. In the end, I love posting and reviewing books, but I needed to be able to do so on my terms and without the extra stress that outdoor staging was causing. My photos aren’t always perfect, and I sometimes miss the gorgeous shots you could capture at golden hour, but creating a staging method that was sustainable and easier for me to execute saved my sanity, and has allowed me to post a lot more consistently.

• Speaking of sustainability, find systems that work for you, not against you

Generally speaking, I would consider myself a creative person, but more than that, I would consider myself organized. I never have a shortage of ideas for my blog or my bookstagram, but what I do have is a shortage of available time that I need to organize meticulously if I want to be able to accomplish anything.

Over the past year, I’ve set up a system of content production that allows me to bulk-batch for both my blog and bookstagram, which alleviates a ton of pressure throughout the week. I know that both my blog and bookstagram are hobbies and shouldn’t cause pressure in the first place, but that’s easier said than done. How many times have you wished you had more time for the things you loved? How many times have you laid in bed on Sunday night and thought “Damn, I wish I’d been able to do X, Y, or Z this week?” If neither of these things ever happens to you, I’m simultaneously delighted for, and jealous of, your life because that’s not me. If I don’t make time for my hobbies, I won’t have time, and then I’ll be sad I missed out. 

Now, I bulk create. I sit down and brainstorm a list of reels while also determining the books I’m likely to get through over the week. I then shoot all my reels at once, followed by all my book review pictures, and bam, I’m done. I then just enjoy the process of making everything live on a pre-determined schedule because the hard work of creating is done upfront. This has allowed me to spend more time engaging thoughtfully and genuinely as my work goes live throughout the week, and I spend way less time stressing about how I’m going to be able to shoot a reel or write a full book review when I already have a jammed schedule.

• We’re here for fun—which means putting things down that no longer serve you

I started both my blog and my bookstagram because I love reading, and I consistently come back to that very simple notion when I feel myself being pulled away from it. 

Am I struggling to get through a super-hyped book that I felt pressured to read in the first place? DNF it. 

Am I posting for the sake of it because I feel like my numbers are down and no one is seeing my content? Throw it in the trash and wait until I feel genuinely inspired again.

Am I forcing myself to take book pictures because it feels aesthetic and not because I want to? Put the books aside and deal with them later. 

At the end of the day, what’s most important to me is that this space remains a fun, creative outlet for me that I enjoy coming to day in and day out. What I’ve learned over the past year is that if something isn’t serving me anymore, if it’s not making this space more enjoyable, then I’m dropping it. 

Thank you, next.

All in all, I feel like this has been a year of massive learning and adaptation. I love that I’ve been able to accomplish so much in this first year, and I can’t wait to see what year two brings. If you’re someone who has commented, DMed, or engaged in any way with my reviews or content, I want to give you a heartfelt thank you, because honestly, you’re a part of what makes this so enjoyable. 

Here’s to 2024—may it bring even more book nerdiness and opportunities for us to nerd out together!