{"id":6420,"date":"2026-07-21T10:11:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:11:18","slug":"write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6420-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/207867604\/79c7dc795483204956083b3ee99553da.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/207867604\/79c7dc795483204956083b3ee99553da.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/207867604\/79c7dc795483204956083b3ee99553da.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving.<\/p><div id=\"vanes-4117958646\" class=\"vanes-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 2px;margin-right: 2px;margin-bottom: 2px;margin-left: 2px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\" aria-label=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?fit=1706%2C2560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1706&ssl=1 1706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"569\" height=\"853\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>55% Gone. Now What?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More than <strong>200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done.<\/strong> Scratched them off the calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Every December, I start thinking about New Year\u2019s resolutions. By the time January 1 rolls around, I\u2019ve got my list together. I tell myself I\u2019m going to be bold, audacious, and dream out loud. This is the year. These are the goals.<\/p>\n<p>Then the middle of July arrives.<\/p>\n<p>And with it comes a stark realization that wakes me out of my dream state. Over 55% of the year is gone. More than 200 days have passed. And if I\u2019m being honest, of all my big, hairy, audacious goals\u2026<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve accomplished one.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve survived.<\/p>\n<p>Now don\u2019t get me wrong. Sometimes survival is the victory.<\/p>\n<p>So today, I want to do three things.<\/p>\n<p>First, I want to congratulate you for making it this far.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re often too hard on ourselves. Sometimes just getting out of bed in your right mind is an accomplishment. If you\u2019re awake and listening to this podcast, congratulations. You\u2019re a survivor.<\/p>\n<p>But survivors want to become thrivers.<\/p>\n<p>And to thrive, we can\u2019t sit still.<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m giving you permission to go back and look at that list you made for 2026. Instead of staring at everything you haven\u2019t done, narrow the list down to <strong>one more thing.<\/strong> Pick one goal you want to accomplish in this latter half of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Then go after it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Vanessa, how do I do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>First: Reconnect with Your Why<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before diving back into your list, check in with your <strong>why<\/strong>. What\u2019s your <em>raison d\u2019\u00eatre<\/em>? What is the thing you believe you\u2019re meant to do on this earth?<\/p>\n<p>Now, depending on the season of life you\u2019re in, that answer may change. That\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n<p>But right now, where\u2019s your head? Where\u2019s your heart?<\/p>\n<p>Take a moment to realign. Choose a goal that matches your personal values and your interests.<\/p>\n<p>Some of us still have corporate day jobs. Some of us signed contracts that sounded great at the time. Some of us are out of contract and still wondering, <em>What the hell happened?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just going to chalk this year up to the fact that we\u2019re living in strange times.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes you\u2019ve got to put your head down and focus, focus, focus on what\u2019s important.<\/p>\n<p>Your <strong>why<\/strong> is important.<\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019re going to use that energy to accomplish your one thing before this year is over.<\/p>\n<p>Psychologists <strong>Kennon Sheldon and Andrew Elliot<\/strong>, who developed the <strong>Self-Concordance Model<\/strong>, found that people pursuing goals aligned with their personal values put forth more sustained effort and are more likely to achieve those goals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second: Maybe Your Goal Was Too Big<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My mama used to say, \u201cYour eyes are bigger than your stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes our egos are bigger than reality.<\/p>\n<p>We only have so many hours in a day. I\u2019ve tested this. It really is twenty-four hours. And somewhere in there you\u2019re going to need to sleep\u2026and yes, use the restroom.<\/p>\n<p>You cannot do everything.<\/p>\n<p>So take that big goal and break it into smaller pieces. Reward yourself every time you get to check something off the list.<\/p>\n<p>For the writers in the house, don\u2019t make the goal, \u201cFinish my novel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Make the goal, \u201cWrite 300 words today without stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Will you have to do that more than once?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p>But novels aren\u2019t written in giant leaps. They\u2019re written through consistent effort.<\/p>\n<p>For the savers in the house, maybe the goal isn\u2019t having $5,000 saved by the end of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s saving $25 a week.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s skipping one unnecessary Amazon purchase every week.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not here to judge.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just here to say: break the goal into pieces.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers <strong>Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer<\/strong>, in <em>The Progress Principle<\/em>, found that making meaningful progress on small tasks is one of the strongest drivers of motivation, engagement, and satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>Small wins matter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Third: Stop Waiting to Feel Like It<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now this one is going to hurt some folks.<\/p>\n<p>Stick to \u201cdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I have a lot of friends who are mood writers. They\u2019ll only write when they\u2019re \u201cfeeling it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The same thing happens with people who want to cook instead of eating out. Or exercise consistently. They\u2019re waiting for the mood to strike.<\/p>\n<p>Moods are tricky things.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, there are days I write better when I\u2019m angry.<\/p>\n<p>Or after I\u2019ve had a delicious caramel torte.<\/p>\n<p>But I can\u2019t wait for the vibe to be right.<\/p>\n<p>A blank page can\u2019t be edited.<\/p>\n<p>Genius\u2014true genius\u2014happens during the editing process.<\/p>\n<p>Now, for that magical one percent who can spit out a perfectly textured paragraph on the first try\u2026<\/p>\n<p>All I\u2019ve got to say is:<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cJesus wept.\u201d<\/strong> (John 11:35.) That is the shortest paragraph and complete statement in the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of us need a plan.<\/p>\n<p>Psychologist <strong>Peter Gollwitzer\u2019s<\/strong> research on <strong>implementation intentions<\/strong> found that people who decide in advance <strong>when<\/strong>, <strong>where<\/strong>, and <strong>how<\/strong> they\u2019re going to act are significantly more likely to accomplish their goals.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, don\u2019t just hope you\u2019ll do it.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Win the Rest of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do these three things, and you\u2019ll already be ahead of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Reconnect with your why.<\/p>\n<p>Break the goal into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n<p>Stop waiting for the perfect mood and make a plan.<\/p>\n<p>This last half of the year can still be productive.<\/p>\n<p>You can still accomplish what you desperately want.<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t know what that desperate thing is\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Go back to step one.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve already made it this far.<\/p>\n<p>We can make it to the end.<\/p>\n<p>Hang in there.<\/p>\n<p>Make the plan.<\/p>\n<p>Start implementing.<\/p>\n<p>And go win the rest of the year.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s book list.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1521\/9780735211292\"><strong>Atomic Habits<\/strong><\/a> by <strong>James Clear<\/strong> \u2014 A practical guide to building better habits through small, consistent changes that compound into remarkable results.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1521\/9781422198575\">The Progress Principle<\/a> by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer \u2014 Drawing on years of research, the authors show how making meaningful progress on small daily tasks is one of the strongest drivers of motivation and success.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1521\/9781885167774\">The ONE Thing<\/a> by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan \u2014 A productivity classic that argues extraordinary results come from identifying and relentlessly focusing on the single most important task.<\/p>\n<p>And if you want to see where my vibe has been for the past two and a half years, check out: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1521\/9781420154870\">A Deal at Dawn<\/a> \u2013 Katherine\u2019s lies have been exposed, but the duke has a plan.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s still Pirate Season. Check out the women pirates in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1521\/9780063271043\">Fire Sword and Sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get these books from <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thebookwormonline.com\/\"><strong>The Book Worm Bookstore <\/strong><\/a><strong>. They have a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea and A Deal at Dawn.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can also try one of my partners in the fight<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\"><strong>, bookstores<\/strong><\/a><strong> large and small, who are in the trenches with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanessariley.com\/\"><strong>VanessaRiley.com<\/strong><\/a><strong>, under the podcast link in the About tab.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hey. Let\u2019s keep rising and creating together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to <\/strong><strong><em>Write of Passage<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thank you for being here.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want you to come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a public episode. If you&#8217;d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2\">vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"vanes-2209411279\" class=\"vanes-after-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 3px;margin-right: 3px;margin-bottom: 3px;margin-left: 3px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?fit=1080%2C1350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Listen to the Write of Passage Weekly Podcast\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=819%2C1024&ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"540\" height=\"675\"   \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[81,793,9,620,756,694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-stories","category-politics","category-recommended-reading","category-syndication","category-technology","category-tv-and-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.10\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vanessa Riley&#039;s Research and Shopping Blog - Research, Resources, &amp; Book Store\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley&#039;s Research and Shopping Blog\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T14:11:18+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T14:11:18+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VanessaRileyAuthor\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley&#039;s Research and Shopping Blog\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog\",\"headline\":\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/73d59a965b1662cc210689227afa097d.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Podcast - Write of Passage, Politics, Recommended Reading, Syndication, Technology, TV and Film\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/recommended-reading\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Recommended Reading\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/recommended-reading\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Recommended Reading\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/recommended-reading\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/recommended-reading\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Recommended Reading\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections\",\"description\":\"Research, Resources, & Book Store\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VanessaRileyAuthor\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vanessarileyauthor\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@vanessarileyauthor\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@FictionSagaQueen\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bsky.app\\\/profile\\\/vanessariley.bsky.social\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#authorImage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e182ebb59a3afb6736cc00df1fa63da8cf9fc06b3fb933948793ca7012d26fe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"width\":96,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"admin\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/\",\"name\":\"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog\",\"description\":\"Congratulations. You\\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\\u2019s stop surviving\\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/73d59a965b1662cc210689227afa097d.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections\",\"description\":\"Research, Resources, & Book Store\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vanessariley.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO -->\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog","description":"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,","canonical_url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#blogposting","name":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog","headline":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/73d59a965b1662cc210689227afa097d.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","width":1280,"height":720},"datePublished":"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00","dateModified":"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Podcast - Write of Passage, Politics, Recommended Reading, Syndication, Technology, TV and Film"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/#listItem","name":"Recommended Reading"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Recommended Reading","item":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#listItem","name":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/#listItem","name":"Recommended Reading"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections","description":"Research, Resources, & Book Store","url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VanessaRileyAuthor","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vanessarileyauthor\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@vanessarileyauthor","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FictionSagaQueen","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/vanessariley.bsky.social"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/#author","url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#authorImage","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e182ebb59a3afb6736cc00df1fa63da8cf9fc06b3fb933948793ca7012d26fe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","width":96,"height":96,"caption":"admin"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/","name":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog","description":"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/73d59a965b1662cc210689227afa097d.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#mainImage","width":1280,"height":720},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00","dateModified":"2026-07-21T10:11:18-04:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/","name":"Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections","description":"Research, Resources, & Book Store","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog - Research, Resources, &amp; Book Store","og:type":"article","og:title":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog","og:description":"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,","og:url":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/","article:published_time":"2026-07-21T14:11:18+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-07-21T14:11:18+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VanessaRileyAuthor","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What? - Vanessa Riley's Research and Shopping Blog","twitter:description":"Congratulations. You\u2019re still here. More than half the year is behind you, and that alone is worth celebrating. But it\u2019s time to kick things into gear. Let\u2019s stop surviving\u2026and start thriving. 55% Gone. Now What? More than 200 days out of 365, 55% of the year is done. Scratched them off the calendar. Every December,"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"6420","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":null,"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":null,"og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":null,"robots_max_videopreview":null,"robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":null,"local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":null,"created":"2026-07-21 19:05:59","updated":"2026-07-21 19:05:59","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/\" title=\"Recommended Reading\">Recommended Reading<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tWrite of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog"},{"label":"Recommended Reading","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-reading\/"},{"label":"Write of Passage: 55% Gone. Now What?","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/write-of-passage-55-gone-now-what\/"}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/73d59a965b1662cc210689227afa097d.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}