The Rebrand | Welcome to Literary Morning

I started my first personal blog in November of 2011. I was thirteen years old and had no idea what I was doing. I was just having fun creating a website, playing with basic HTML and templates from The Cutest Blog on the Block. I loved interacting with a community of other homeschooled, teenage creators like me. Ever since then, blogging has been my absolute favorite hobby. It's something I have always come back to, despite taking long, unexpected breaks every once in a while.

I'm thankful to have had all this time on a blogging platform. Blogging and writing have been there for me during all the huge milestones of my life, starting and graduating high school, college, and through planning a wedding. But deep down I knew I was in need of a change. I desperately needed a reevaluation of who I am as a blogger. I needed to know what my goals are, what I want to accomplish with this website in the long run.

I think back on my past 8 years of blogging as an experimental time. Every blog I have made before has been something of a prototype. I felt free to try out different styles, post about different things that I love, and have fun. My blogs have always been a reflection of who I am during each stage of life, and I love looking back at the evolution of myself over the years. But it's time for another rendition of myself on this blogging space. 

I've never taken myself too seriously as a blogger. I've never structured my posts. Most of them have been written in a flash of inspiration, and I would very rarely edit them (which has left me with some embarrassments to look back on). While I admire my past self as a blogger, I have changed. I have become someone who appreciates planning ahead. I like some form of structure, focus, consistency and professionalism.

With all of these reflections, I decided to intentionally taking a step back from this space for a month. I worked hard refreshing the design, getting it how I envisioned. I planned out posts for the next couple months, and even wrote some drafts all ready to edit and post. I practiced some photography so that I can begin to use more of my pictures in posts. It was exactly what I needed to do to turn this website into something I am so proud of.

Welcome to Literary Morning, a bookish lifestyle blog. 

Letters to Myself was a place focused specifically on me, my growth, and what I love. While this blog will always be about my journey in some respect, I wanted to make it more about helping others to find new books to read and love. I wanted to create a place for community among book lovers, where we can feel free to discuss every aspect of literature.

Here you can expect to see some of the similar kind of content I used to post, book reviews, essays, and reflections, but with a goal to connect with readers. Talking about books and reading is my favorite, so with this rebranding I knew I wanted to shift into an actual book blog with recommendations, monthly wrap ups, and discussions.

I am also going on a weekly posting schedule. Consistency is something that is important to me. I want my readers to be able to count on me, and posting every week is something I've always wanted to do. I want to be a more active participant in the blogging community, instead of keeping myself on the sidelines.

I'm back now, and I'm more excited than ever to share my thoughts and to start posting again!

Here I am now. November 2019, 8 years since I started, and I am forever grateful for all that blogging has given me. It has shaped me as a writer, and I know I wouldn't be where I am now without the experience. And I'm even more grateful for everyone who has been patient with me through this transition, who has stuck with me and believes in me more than I believe in myself.