Becoming the Main Character: A Journey Through Literary-Inspired Living
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." — Zora Neale Hurston
Dear Friends,
As I approach my 43rd rotation around the sun in the summer, I've been reflecting on what The Literary Assistant means to me. While it represents my business, I've realized it also embodies something deeper. To me, it also shows how books have become assistants in virtually every aspect of my life.
Books have been my guides through uncertainty through early motherhood, my companions in self-reflection to figure out who I am, my teachers in the kitchen to show me how to make new recipes, and my mirrors in moments of new styles and self-discovery. They've shaped how I present myself to the world, how I express myself creatively, how I dress, and even how I enjoy a simple cup of tea.
This reflection has inspired me to launch a new series that I’ll be sharing each week here on Substack.
Becoming the Main Character: Literary-Inspired Living.
Each week, I'll focus on one way that I’ll be trying to bring "main character energy" into everyday life through the lens of literature. And I want to take you along with me.
Sound like something you would like to do as well? Join in the fun!
What to Expect
Each newsletter will include:
My Weekly Focus: What I'm personally working on to bring intention and literary magic into ordinary moments
Glimpses of My Journey: Honest reflections and photos from my own experiments with literary living
Book Recommendations: Three carefully selected titles that complement the week's theme
For the rest of this year (and perhaps beyond), we'll explore different aspects of literary-inspired living, beginning with these themes:
Week 1: The Literary Walk — Finding story and meaning in everyday strolls
Week 2: The Reading Ritual — Creating intentional spaces and practices for reading
Week 3: The Literary Wardrobe — Bringing bookish inspiration to personal style
Week 4: Literary Tea Time — Pairing books with mindful brewing moments
Future themes will include literary gardens, bookish home spaces, literary (virtual) travel, character-inspired cooking, and much more.
Why "Main Character Energy"?
There's been much talk about "main character energy" in recent years—that sense of living as though your life is a story worth telling. But I’m not interested in social media curated perfection. I'm interested in something deeper something meaningful to me.
The main characters I love in literature don't just look the part—they notice details, reflect on experiences, find meaning in ordinary moments, and approach life with both purpose and openness to surprise.
Is anyone else feeling Elizabeth Bennet vibes?
That's the energy I'm seeking to nourish, and I invite you to join me.
This week, I'm experimenting with character-inspired walks. This morning, I spent 15 minutes walking through my neighborhood as I imagined Elizabeth Bennet might—noticing architectural details I normally overlook, appreciating the still bare branches of the trees, and observing interactions between neighbors with a slightly more perceptive eye.
Something shifted. I found myself with a spring in my step, walking with a bit of joyfulness, and feeling more relaxed and connected to my surroundings. The same route I've walked so, so many times suddenly felt fresh and full of new things to explore. And, it also helps that the cute ducks have arrived in our back pond as well as the neighboring chickens as my parents!
Tomorrow, I'm planning a "setting stroll" where I'll imagine my neighborhood as a setting in a novel—perhaps the English countryside or an small Irish village… we will see how well my imagination serves me. I'll share photos on Instagram.
As I've been rereading The Art of Flaneuring by Erika Owen, I've been struck by how the simple act of mindful walking has become an afterthought in our busy lives. When we walk with attention and purpose—like a character in charge—we hold onto calmness in our own lives.
Has anyone else noticed the speed of content on social media picking up? I feel like people are even talking faster. Lately, I’ve noticed my body getting uptight in response to the quick pace of the videos being shared. I’m looking to find the balance through some fresh air and outdoor time.
I'm finding that approaching daily walks with literary awareness is helping me become more present, more observant, and more connected to both stories and reality.
It's a small practice with mighty impact.✨
Book Recommendations
If you'd like to join me in exploring literary walks this week, here are three book recommendations. One has inspired my walking, and two are fun fiction recs that I love. I think they fit well with the walking/outdoors theme.
The Art of Flaneuring by Erika Owen
This accessible guide revives the nearly forgotten concept of "flaneuring"—the art of wandering with intention and curiosity. Owen adapts this historically urban and privileged practice for modern life, showing how anyone can benefit from mindful observation while walking. Perfect for those seeking to transform ordinary strolls into meaningful explorations.
P.S. I really love having this book on my shelf to pull out every year when Spring rolls around. It’s a refreshing reminder to get outside and move - with intention.
Check it out HERE.
Birding with Benefits by Sarah Smith
In this fun and flirty rom-com, newly-divorced Celeste joins shy birdwatcher John for a birding contest in Tucson, leading to hiking adventures through the Arizona wilderness. As they spend time walking and observing nature together, they develop undeniable chemistry.
This novel beautifully illustrates how walking in nature can lead to unexpected connections, personal growth, and new beginnings.
This book really made me want to go birding!
P.P.S. I really loved this book!
Check it out HERE.
The Celebrated Pedestrian by Suzanne Allain
For fiction lovers, this delightful Regency romance showcases how walks can become a part of a routine, but also highlight too much of a good thing can be well… too much.
The protagonist's daily constitutionals lead to unexpected encounters, revelations, and transformations—a charming reminder that sometimes the most important journeys happen on foot.
This was such a fun find after I read Mr. Malcolm’s List and fell in love with the movie.(If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend checking it out!) Suzanne is such a talented author and when I discovered she had a few hidden gems, I grabbed them up! This is the perfect read if you are looking for a unique Regency romance with a fresh premise. (This is a proper romance, so no steamy, but still a great read.)
Check it out HERE.
P.P.P.S.
As I head into my 43rd year, I'm focusing on intentionality and finding joy in small moments. These weekly practices are my way of bringing that intention to life through the lens of literature.
I'd love for you to join me. You don't need special equipment, tons of books, or hours of free time—just a curiosity to approach ordinary moments with a bit more awareness and imagination.
Each week, I'll share my experiences honestly—the discoveries, the awkward moments (and there are always awkward moments with me), and the hidden joys found in self discovery.
I invite you to share yours as well!
I want you to feel that your everyday life is already a story worth telling—you just need to start noticing it.
Happy reading,
Melissa
P.S. Next week we'll explore The Reading Ritual – creating intentional spaces and practices that transform ordinary reading into extraordinarily bookish experiences.
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Happy birthday - and good luck with the launch of your new series. I look forward to reading your posts!
Being inspired to be better by a fictional character, or having that character hold you to a higher standard is an excellent idea. Especially if it helps you make decisions on at least the small things.
I read a different genres of fiction than you do, though. But I've often told people that Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch has always reset my moral compass to due north by the time - hell, even while reading - I finish one one of the novels in that series. Then almost immediately, at my so-called 'side-gig', something happens to whack it way back off kilter. I have read almost all of the Bosch books, but am still saving 'The Waiting", as I fear it may be the last. But, in consolation Harry Bosch's torch may have been passed to Renee Ballard.
It's funny that I read this post today though, because I had just been thinking to myself, that if someone asked me what faction or role I would best fit in my beloved Warhammer 40,000 universe, today I would have had to say 'Commissar', but that might be because I am currently reading a Gaunt's Ghosts novel. My side-gig is a graveyard shift security one in downtown Toronto. Sometimes things happen. I would like to think that I would have the wisdom and forbearance of Dan Abnett's Ibram Gaunt, but unfortunately I think I often do not, and that brings us full circle to that 'moral compass' thing. I really WANT to keep it due north, but it is not easy.
As to the walking, here in downtown Toronto, it is the opposite. I feel like I am walking with purpose, and so many people around me are on the sidewalk glued to whatever is going on in their earbuds. I am old enough to have had to make a conscious shift from assuming that a person talking to somebody not present is mentally ill to their being on a phone call! But some are so oblivious, and also so self-centered that they care nothing of the obstacle that they often become, or simply walk straight at you as if you are not there, and the person on the other side of their device is. I have been very close to just dropping a shoulder into someone soooo many times.... ut so far, I have kept managing to step around.... So far.