If you’re reading this, thank you
A brief background on my work, a reasoning for the layout of my newsletters, and most importantly, a new beginning.
Hello, and welcome to my personal corner of the internet. My name is Liv, and unfortunately, I am a twenty-something writer and medical student from the Philippines.
I’ve harbored many small spaces on the internet, almost all of which were anonymous. I’ve had my fair share of Tumblr blogs, science articles, and YouTube videos that I’ve left around, never promoted, and hardly ever shared, especially with the people who know me in real life.
This Substack is an attempt to finally be myself and find a space that really feels like home. I’ve carefully thought over the structure and content of my newsletters in such a way that I hope each one I send will make me feel more relieved to be putting something out there in the world rather than afraid of it, where I can express everything there is to me.
In Partial Fulfillment is the brainchild of a science and literature enthusiast. Taking inspiration from research journals and science articles, the title of this newsletter contains the words that grace the front of every student’s major writing submission in class. As such, this corner of the internet is something I’ve felt the need to do to fulfill the creative side of my life. With each post, I hope that I am putting something out there in the world that matters, even just a bit.
For now, I will be posting around twice a month at minimum, maybe more if I am feeling it. Each edition of my newsletter will contain a combination of any of the following sections in the following order:
Background
This section contains a short summary of the contents of my newsletter, including my inspirations and the reasons I’ve decided to pursue writing about it.
Significance
This part makes up the bulk of each newsletter and will contain an essay about anything under the sun, coming straight from the heart every time. It may seem unseemly for me to put this section under this section, but I have titled it in reference to the part of my research papers that was always returned with many red marks.
For me, the significance of every piece of research or writing always served as the most important part, and the most difficult part to get right, because it is meant to answer the question Why are you doing this? Accordingly, in this newsletter, the significance will always answer the question Why do you write?Literature Review
As a fun pun, this section will contain reviews of various works of literature or media, literally. I will be recommending and discussing books, poems, movies, shows, episodes, music, YouTube videos, fanfiction, Tumblr posts, Pinterest boards, Facebook rants, TikToks, Instagram reels, or any piece of media worth a few brain cells of discussion.
Peer Review
I was inspired by my friends to add this section because they are often, if not always, the first people to read my work. In this part, I will be adding in initial comments they made on previous drafts, additional insights on the topic of the newsletter, or screenshots of their general reactions. My friends who read my drafts are some of the most wonderful and well-spoken people I’ve ever met, so it is likely that they will also be writing in this section in the future.
Bibliography
My personal dedications for the post will be placed in this part, thanking people who may or may not read this newsletter. Additionally, I will actually be placing my references here so it functions like a real bibliography, for once.
Appendix
Other pictures, graphs, diagrams, tables, and other miscellaneous media that I believe will add to the reading experience of this newsletter will be placed here.
So, welcome in. Make yourself at home, and I really mean it. If you’re reading this, thank you for believing in my abilities to write, and for staying around to hear my thoughts. I am working on doing the same, too.
If any of my newsletters spark your interest, I’d love for you to message me back with your thoughts or insights. You can comment, send me an email, or reach out wherever you find most suitable to you. Just like my apartment, this space is a place of warmth, kindness, and love, even when you least expect it.