my 2023 year in review

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

And so the sun sets on this year. I can’t help but feel like it flew by faster than I could blink. This happens every year–all of a sudden I look up and it’s December.

2023 was an eventful year. Goodbyes and hellos, grief and celebration, sorrows and immense joys. I have grown so much this year. I hate to leave it behind, but at the same time, I greet the new year with open arms.

Everyone’s doing reflection posts these days, and while I could ramble on and on about everything I mention in this post, I’m going to keep it brief for your reading enjoyment. So without further ado, let’s jump right in!

books

In 2023, I read 119 books by 95 unique authors. Not quite the 200-book goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year, but still worth noting. 42 of those books were rereads.

Some favorite new reads were I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, the Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson (I’m halfway through!), Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I also read a lot of BookTok books like The Inheritance Games and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder that I didn’t expect to like but really enjoyed.

In the rereads category, I went back to some old favorite series and trilogies like the Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, the WondLa trilogy by Tony DiTerlizzi, and the Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse. I also read the entire Harry Potter series in one week for the second time in my life–rereading the series has become a favorite summer activity of mine.

In 2024, I have decided to start tracking my reading on Goodreads in addition to Notion, which is where I’ve been storing my reading log for the last two years. Notion is extremely handy and I love how customizable it is, but with 240 entries in the database over the last two years, it’s getting a bit laggy. I’m figuring out some workarounds to make it less so, but using Goodreads as well will help me keep better track of my reviews and TBR.

I’ve also decided that in 2024 I’m going to read and study more classics. I love the classics, but they’re harder to read than my favorite contemporaries, so this year I’m combatting my lack of motivation towards them. I will assign myself 12 classic books that I haven’t read before and read one per month. I’m excited to finally start reading more classics–suggestions welcome in the comments!

I have also finished reading through the entire Bible. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do next, but I’d like to do a more in-depth study, since my goal for reading it this year was to just get an overview, but a broader overview than what I’ve been studying in Sunday school my whole life. I will still be reading my Bible–I’m just not sure what form that will take yet.

writing + platform

I’ve already talked about this to the point of exhaustion, but in June I began my studies at the Author Conservatory. Since then, I’ve plotted and written my first novel and begun concepts for my second. I’ve learned and grown through peer and instructor feedback so much, and I’ve loved the connections I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned every step of the way. In six months, I’ve already seen how much the Conservatory is blessing and equipping me for my future.

Quote, Unquote also celebrated its third birthday! October marked that milestone. In three years of blogging, I have never once missed a Wednesday post (although once I did schedule one for the wrong time and panicked because I thought I did miss it).

I’ve loved sharing my writing journey through this blog, helping other writers like me. Each and every comment encourages me to keep going–thank you for reading! I plan to keep it thriving. I hope to upgrade it to a paid domain and get rid of those pesky ads, but that’s the only major change I intend to make. However, plans change–we’ll see how the blog does throughout the next year.

music

My top artists on Spotify this year were, in order:

1. Taylor Swift (no surprise there)
2. Imagine Dragons
3. Hozier
4. Paramore
5. Bon Iver

And some top five songs. My top five songs on Spotify were all Taylor Swift, so I’ll give you a few lists so you get a better picture of my music taste.

• Top five Taylor Swift: “gold rush,” “’tis the damn season,” “champagne problems,” “Style,” “Out of the Woods”
• Top five non-Taylor Swift: “Speechless” by Dan + Shay, “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot” by Jordan Davis, “doomsday” by Lizzy McAlpine, “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs, “Off” by Jake Scott
• Top five new favorite artists in 2023: “About You” by The 1975, “Scott Street” by Phoebe Bridgers, “reckless driving” by Lizzy McAlpine and Ben Kessler, “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams, “Pretty Places” by Aly & AJ

I started listening to a lot more country music this year, courtesy to my best friends. I used to think I hated it, but it turns out I hated more of the stereotypical “beer, trucks, women, ‘Murica” country music. Once I found the actual good stuff, I started to like it a lot more.

My sister also introduced me to a lot of the indie pop vibes like Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, and their voices and distinctive sounds suit my tastes perfectly. She’s also trying to get me to love indie folk like Noah Kahan…that one’s going to take some getting used to.

In November I did the annual “Me and Music Tag”, so if you’re interested in getting a bit of a larger taste of my music, feel free to check that out!

final thoughts

While it had its rough patches, as every year does, 2023 was an incredible year for me in personal growth. I can’t recall a year where I’ve been blessed so abundantly, been brought down and lifted up, like I have this year. It’s been a roller coaster ride, and while I can’t say I’ve enjoyed every single moment, I look back on it with fondness. For that I am grateful.

I can only hope that 2024 will bring the same blessings–not just for myself but for you, all of you reading this. I pray that you walk into the new year with a sense of renewal, open arms, and an unshakeable faith.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you next Wednesday (in 2024)!

autumn update + winter goals

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

While I don’t necessarily enjoy waking up before the sun, I do love watching the sun rise from the easterly window at the coffee shop where I work. The days are so short now, which means that I can watch the sun rise and set in the same day. I’ve begun taking a picture of each spectacular sunset and sunrise I see, and I have quite a nice collection to look back and marvel on.

This fall was simple–uneventful, yet full of delightful small joys. Mostly, it was figuring out how to navigate the many large blessings I had suddenly been handed over the late spring and summer without draining myself. It has been a season of balance and learning.

Some of my favorite things included:

• trips to the cider mill (although I got stung by a wasp once, which was not a favorite thing)
• watching my little sister go to homecoming for the first time
• getting my senior pictures taken
• launching my business, Seedlings Latin Academy
• an extremely intense game of Monopoly with my two best friends (I lost and I’m still bitter)
• staying up too late to listen to 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
• playing at an incredible Reformation service
• drafting my first Author Conservatory novel
• reading the Conservatory’s first student anthology!

Now that we’ve done a quick little three-month recap, let’s look over my goals from September, shall we?

goals from autumn

restart my email list

For the second time in a row, I have managed to completely let this goal slip by me–which is a sign that I just don’t have the mental energy for it right now.

Honestly, that’s fine by me. Right now, an email list is not a high priority. I will learn how to build and maintain one later with the Author Conservatory, so it’s not something I need to do right now. I’m choosing to let go of this goal for now and not put too much pressure on myself to do things faster than is good for me.

re-teach myself Latin

With the launching of my Latin tutoring business, I had to do a bit of a refresher on Latin basics. It was surprising how hard it was at first to pick it back up, but I got there in the end! I’m no expert by any means–I won’t be reading anything harder than accounts of the Gallic War anytime soon–but it’s more than enough to be able to pass on to students.

learn something new

When I made this goal, I had sewing specifically in mind. I wanted to learn how to make my own clothes. But as the season went on, it because apparent that sewing was not a very high priority at the moment. I was just too busy juggling everything else.

And I was fine with that. Sure, it’s something I want to do eventually–I just don’t have the time or energy to do it right now. For now, I will focus on improving and learning in the skills I already have before moving on to something new.

figure out budgeting and money management

With help from my mom, who is a personal finance pro, I have been able to visualize my expenses with YNAB and create a manageable budget that works for me. I highly recommend this tool for anyone looking to improve their personal finances! It helps you set goals and track your spending. Plus, they have so many helpful resources for managing your money. Definitely check it out if you need something to kickstart your personal finance game–especially heading into the new year.

make connections and engage

With advice from the co-founder of the Conservatory, I’ve been attending more calls and making more of an effort to be present in the program. It can be hard for me to make connections online, but I’m slowly starting to integrate myself into the community and become someone I would look up to. I have a feeling that this is not going to be a “one and done” goal–it’s something I’m going to be working on for a while.

goals for winter

prioritize rest

I have learned the hard way that rest is not something that can be put off. You need to rest before your body decides it needs to rest and shuts off entirely. It prevents burnout and allows you to work more effectively in the long run.

I love my work and am continually striving to be better, which is a perfect cocktail for “workaholic.” If I don’t take breaks and listen to what my mind, soul, and body need, then I’m not going to be able to work at all. Over the winter, I will be implementing strategies to prioritize rest such as not working at all on certain days and going at my own pace, not trying to “outdo myself.”

lessen dependence on screens

I’ve had “lower screentime” as a seasonal goal several times before, but I think that I’ve been going about it wrong. Instead of telling myself I need to use my screens less, I need to lessen my dependence so I don’t feel like I have to use my screens at all.

At the moment, I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to do that, but I know that a reread of Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism can help me figure that out. I hope to develop some strategies and report back in the spring with results!

finish the Iliad

I started reading the Iliad months ago, and it’s fallen to the wayside. This month I’d like to finish it and move into the Odyssey. It’s a fairly straightforward and low-pressure goal–which I need!

final thoughts

It’s been a small-joys kind of fall, and I hope those same small joys will continue through the winter. I’m working on finding beauty even in the hard times. The sunrises make it all worth it.

What goals have you set for yourself in the coming winter? Let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you next Wednesday!

literary lighthouses: a writing update

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

Nine weeks ago, I posted about my current writing project and progress. In that post, I outlined where I was at in the Author Conservatory, made a brief introduction to my novel, and said in a lot of words that I wasn’t sure if I was going to do NaNoWriMo this year. This week, I’m back to update you all!

I have one very exciting announcement to make…

I won NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row!

Yeah, funny story–I said that I didn’t think I was going to do NaNo, that going for quantity over quality probably wasn’t a good idea, and that I was too busy to really give it the time it needed…

Then wrote 53,000 words in 27 days.

My novel, Project Restore, is a story with a Hallmark-movie plot about a businesswoman named Eloise who reluctantly leaves her job in the city behind to fix up the lighthouse where she grew up–alongside her ex, Cal. Drama ensues. It’s full of coastal small town lighthouse vibes and a touch of second-chance romance, and I think it’s my favorite thing that I’ve ever written.

I went into an absolute trance while drafting this novel. I have no idea what happened to me. It was like my body was taken over by some novel-writing creature.

Just for fun (and because I’m a data gremlin), I’m going to share some stats from the month of November.

project restore drafting stats

• 27 days drafting (begun November 1, finished November 27)
• 53,166 total words
• 1,969 average words per day
• 33 total hours drafting
• 28.3 average words per minute
• wrote the most between 3 and 4 pm
• drafted the most on November 20 with 3,562 words
• 22 chapters

imperfection

While the first draft of Project Restore may be finished, the story is nowhere near done. It’s decidedly half-baked right now. In fact, it’s just bad. It’s about 20,000 words shorter than I wanted it to be, there are so many loose ends to tie up, the prose can be repetitive and, well, not great…

But while the story may not be done, the first draft is.

During the first few days of writing this draft, I was so worried about it having to be just right. Easy and fun to read, not too rambly, weaving in all the backstory perfectly, and so on and so forth.

And then around Chapter 4 I threw all that out the window.

At that point, I had decided that I was going to attempt NaNoWriMo. The whole nine yards, 50,000 words in 30 days. And if I was going to write 50,000 words in 30 days, I couldn’t worry about it being any good.

Drafting was such a struggle at first. I hated sitting down to write–it felt like the words were fighting against my fingers, resisting coming out onto the page. For the first few days, I dreaded my writing time with a passion.

As soon as I gave myself permission to be bad, I started to love writing my story. When I stopped worrying about making it all perfect, I fell in love with my setting, my characters, exploring their world and who they were.

In November, I wrote 53,166 messy, imperfect words. There will come a day when the words have to be slightly less messy, when I’ll have to wade through my murky doc and clean it up bit by bit.

But for now…it’s done.

learning to rest

Another thing I learned while drafting was the importance of rest. I wrote every single day. Rain or shine, work or no work, even if I had no time all day and I had to sit down at 10:30 at night to write–I wrote.

As you can imagine, it was a bit strenuous. There were some days when the words flowed and I wrote 1,000 words in 30 minutes. And then there were the days when I sat down for 40 minutes and I still couldn’t get 500 words on the page.

And I was okay with that. If I only wrote 480 words, that was still 480 words I didn’t have on my draft before. I did the best I could with the mental resources I had, and that’s what mattered.

I gave myself grace. I wanted to do at least 1,000 words on those days, but when they simply weren’t coming, I allowed myself to stop. I could have pushed myself harder. I could probably have done more.

But when I allowed myself to stop, to rest and recharge, I did more good to myself and my story than another 520 words could ever have done.

I didn’t always do a good job of giving myself grace. There were several times when my friends had to yell at me to put the draft down and go to bed or go touch grass. But when I actually did allow myself to rest instead of pushing through, it strengthened me more.

Funny, right? How we were created in God’s image, and even He rested after creating? That was something I definitely needed to hear over November.

where do I go now?

I felt a bit lost after I finished my draft. It was bumpy at first, but I grew to love spending time with my characters and the lighthouse. I felt like I could see them, standing in the surf, silhouetted by the setting sun.

It was a kind of small grief, finishing the story. I could no longer explore my characters, their minds, their worlds. But it comforts me to know that there’s much left to do on this draft. There’s always more to do.

I know that I haven’t shared much about this novel, but to celebrate, I’m going to leave you with a little snippet from the main character, Eloise:

This lighthouse is more trouble than it’s worth. It’s constantly dusty, always in danger, always needing some sort of upkeep. It’s cold and drafty and an absolute pain to keep operational. 

Yet it’s a part of me. I’ve climbed these hundred and thirty-four stairs more times than I can count. I’ve sat on the lantern room and watched the ships and the sea for hours and hours of my life. I’ve come here to cry and to celebrate and everything in between. I’ve poured my blood and sweat and tears into it.

As much as I hate to admit it, as much as I try to leave it behind, this lighthouse is my home. 

Chapter Thirteen

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate your support more than you can ever know. It’s more than I ever dreamed of or hoped for.

I’ll see you next Wednesday!

hear the Voices of the Future: the Author Conservatory’s debut anthology is here!

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

This week I have some extremely exciting news to share with you all. Something I’ve been waiting to share about for weeks. Something filled with heart and hope and a sprinkle of magic.

Ready?

I don’t think you are…

All right, here it is:

My classmates wrote a book!

This anthology is a collection of tales written by students of the Author Conservatory. (In fact, one of them is Amie Woleslagle, who the OGs of Quote, Unquote might remember–I helped with her poetry book Fifteen‘s release three years ago!)

Across eight states and two continents, these nine young writers are shaping the world with their stories. They are all third-year students nearing graduation from the Conservatory. Collectively, they’ve written thirty-eight novels. Many have attended professional writer’s conferences; many have won awards for their writing; many already have interest from agents and publishers. This anthology is just a small sample of their incredible gifts and talents.

what’s inside

Stories of family and fearlessness, of course!

The nine stories all center around those common themes. But although these encapsulate the main heart, there’s so much more.

A story about a book-loving dragon who learns to stop listening to the negative voices.

A story about a girl who tries to bring rain to her family and learns to trust.

A story about an old man and a fairy who teaches him that letting go sometimes brings people back.

A story about a portal that’s destroying the house and a boy who has to make a choice between his father and life.

A story about an old woman who learns to accept help.

A story about a mythical creature and finding belonging.

A story about a girl struggling to find her place in her family.

A story about a sister and brother confronting their past as their future crumbles.

And a story about a girl trying to move on years after her sister’s death.

I had the pleasure of reading an advance reader’s copy of Voices of the Future: Stories of Family and Fearlessness, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that every single story made me stop, sit back, and take a moment when I finished it. Within every story was something clever, something heartfelt, something that made me stop and think. Something in each story changed me in some way.

There’s something in this anthology for everyone. From fantastical dragons to apocalyptic forests to stories set right here in our world, from old men to teenage girls to mythical creatures you’ve never heard of before, you will find yourself in these stories. (If you relate to the mythical creature you’ve never heard of before, please come talk to me.)

These stories will challenge you, change you, and open your eyes to something new. Something real. Something you’ve never seen before…

The voices of the future.

I believe young writers can change the world.

I published my first book at nineteen-years-old with my twin brother Alex. It was called Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Our mission was to start a movement. Our message was that young people are far more capable than society expects.

Today I’m inviting you to believe that message with me.

Brett Harris, Voices of the Future: Stories of Family and Fearlessness

You can order your own copy of Voices of the Future Volume 1 right here. 100% of your purchase goes towards helping these young writers attend writing conferences to further their writing career.

order your copy

These young authors thank you for your support. They’ve given their blood, sweat, and tears to get to where they are today. (Probably literally, especially in the “tears” case.) These stories are a part of them, and they’re sharing a piece of their heart with you.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you next Wednesday!