Hey you,
How are things? I hope you do take a moment to answer this question in your mind before reading on. Me? I’m currently doing my best. My best to eat and sleep well, and continue to be a version of me who is happy to wake up every morning. That’s where I’m at.
I’ve noticed an increase in the number of subscribers so, allow me to re-introduce myself(I hope you read that in Jay-Z’s voice) My name is Amyn, and my online nicknames are Lipglossmaffia, and The crazy book lady. To qualify as an adult member of society, I work as an online community manager and copy editor for a lifestyle website. In my spare time, I read, and talk about books through Twitter, Instagram, and my podcasts(Something Bookish & The Litty Podcast). This newsletter is a space where I share random musings, try to uplift you(if you let me), things that tickle me, and more book recommendations! (gotcha)
Today’s letter is inspired by a scene from a book I read a few weeks ago, Jade Is A Twisted Green by Tanya Turton. In that scene, a young woman asks her favourite author, “How do you create work worth reading?” And the author responded, “For starters, simply go and live a life worth writing about.” At first glance, it might seem a little condescending but we owe it to ourselves to live a life worth writing about. The best things we can do in life are the things we must gather courage for and then simply do because we’re afraid of them.
We may not always be at our best when opportunities present themselves, but most times the most important thing is simply taking the first step forward. You’d be surprised how many people miss out on great opportunities simply because they never tried. Imagine how many times you could have won something by default simply because you were the only person brave enough to raise your hand and go forward.
Does that put life in perspective a little bit for you? I like to think it’s like that with most things in life. The scariest part is the first step, but everything after that is an experience worth sharing, an experience worth writing about. It’s the challenges we overcome that bring spice and satisfaction to our lives.
P. S. this letter is a giant note to self, so, join me and let’s do the shit we really want to do, okay? Who cares if we fail, we still fucking did it!
Soma Nami podcast's most recent episode where they chat about the publishing landscape in Kenya, it’s such an enlightening conversation that got me thinking about publishing in Nigeria too, so much work to be done.
Abena Maryam just launched her podcast and there’s an episode titled Get To Know Me Through Books, I think this template should be used a lot more because it’s a really fun way to get to know a person.
The narrator of Sue Nyathi’s The Golddiggers, Malika Ndlovu did an amazing job and though the novel is heartbreaking, I highly recommend it. You can listen to it on Scribd (use my 60-day free trial link)
If you follow me on Instagram, you’d know I’ve been watching the K-Drama, My Liberation Notes. I stopped watching it after the first episode but picked it up again because of one of my favourite eye candy and it proved to be worth my time.
In other news, there’s a new podcast episode of Something Bookish available where I reviewed a book while tipsy. It was very daunting but I think it’s a worthwhile listen, according to the feedback I’ve received. You can listen to it HERE.
If you love my content, please do consider supporting me by buying me a digital cup of tea.
See you on the other side, Dearest.
XOXO
I really like today's quote, its giving me the courage to start something I've always wanted to do ( cosplaying)