Reading a Letter from 2016 Me

Back in early June of 2016 (June 3rd, 2016, to be exact), I wrote a letter to "future" me on my hopes and dreams for Reading is Inevitable, not only including the blog but also the bookstagram. Now that it's been over a year and "future me" is now "present me", it was time to open up the letter and see how much Reading is Inevitable has grown!

To read my letter, read the text below.

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Dear Julia,

How is the blog? I am sure that it is not exactly what you have wanted for the blog at this point. Running a blog is tough! Oh, don’t forget to write that post on what you have learned so far, blah blah blah. Although, if you decided to follow schedule, you should have already written it. If not, you’re late!

Anyway, moving on, I suppose I should write down some of my wishes and hopes for the blog at this point. I hope that we have a new design (not too fond of the current one…?), or at least that it’s a bit more colorful or bright. I hope that Emily has more posts on the blog, or that at least she has some and that I am not always scrambling to write a post. It would be great if I was actually tagged in book tags, rather than me just stumbling across one that says “anyone may join!” I would also like to see our pageviews for the blog increase...rather than decrease.

As for the Instagram page, I would love to have...200 followers? Is that asking too much? I suppose I really don’t care, though, as long as I’m writing for some sort of audience! It would also be lovely if we had decided on some sort of theme, but if we have a variety of pictures, that’s fine by me!

I wonder what books I have read...Am I reading more? Less? What’s the bookstagram community like now? Is the #flipthatbook thing still popular? Or is there some new trend? Am I still really invested in the blog? Do I still spend hours, whole nights, even, working on it, even if it’s just research for posts or playing around with the design?

I guess I just want to know how things are...and how things have changed. Currently I work a lot on the blog. Lately, I have been doing research in how to improve Instagram pictures and posts to write that might get a good deal of traffic. I still leave the photography to Em, but maybe that’ll change…?

Well, that’s all for now. Happy reading! (Do I still say that?)

From,
Julia (the past you)

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I think it's fair to say that things have changed quite a bit from the time that I wrote this letter.

I actually forgot about that post idea that I mentioned in the first paragraph. It's funny that I did because I know that I had been looking forward to writing that post for a long time. I couldn't stop thinking about it for a few months and yet, when it's finally time that I can write it, I've forgotten it.

I hope that we have a new design (not too fond of the current one...?), or at least that it's a bit more colorful or bright. I hope that Emily has more posts on the blog or that at least she has some and that I am not always scrambling to write a post.... I would also like to see our pageviews for the blog increase...rather than decrease.

As for my goals for the blog, I think that I've met some of them. We have actually changed our theme quite a bit over time, but I think that I've finally found something that I like, and I believe Em does too. (She did surprise me by picking yellow... It has always been a favorite color of mine, but I never imagined her to pick it!) Unfortunately for past me, Em does not work on the blog anymore. The blog is now mine to run alone, and while this would probably upset past me, I don't think much of it now. (If she ever does have a post, however, I am always willing to post it!) Pageviews for the blog have gone down with each falling-out I have, but, as I always say, I am trying to fix that.

As for the Instagram page, I would love to have...200 followers? Is that asking too much? ... It would also be lovely if we had decided on some sort of theme, but if we have a variety of pictures, that's fine by me! I wonder what books I have read...Am I reading more? Less? What's the bookstagram community like now? Is the #flipthatbook thing still popular? Or is there some new trend?

Bookstagram certainly has changed. I think that, when I wrote the 200 follower goal, I really was hoping for more, but I only asked for 200 as a precaution. At least I can say that we did that! Our theme is definitely something, but I want to work on it more. The #filpthatbook trend, well, isn't much of a trend anymore, but that was expected. And the bookstagram community...? Oh, the bookstagram community... At least when I was last on it, there was a lot of issues. (Part of the reason why I felt like I needed a break. Once again, I'm sorry.)

Am I still really invested in the blog? Do I still spend hours, whole nights, even, working on it, even if it's just research for posts or playing around with the design? .... Currently I work a lot on the blog.

I really haven't had one of those blogging ruts in a while. Well, that is, until I fell into this one. These last few posts that you've been reading (and probably the next few ones)...? I wrote them all within a few days. So. I think that I'm getting back into blogging.

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I am going to write another letter to myself that I'll open up in 2018! It feels so far away but I'm sure the time will go by so quickly. Hopefully Em and I can work out some of these goals before then! Until next time (and happy reading!)