Real Magic Comes After the Rush

How to stay in love with your work after the honeymoon fades.

As someone who loves starting projects, I’m familiar with the feeling of the honeymoon blush fading. When other projects ~ a new book, a fresh newsletter, a fun sticker design ~ suddenly feel much more exciting.

Who doesn’t love starting something new?

Okay. To be fair, there are folks who prefer a project when it’s up and running. They love knowing what comes next. They’ve found their groove and plan on keeping it. For those folks, that initial staring contest with a blank page is paralyzing.

I, on the other hand, am one of those gals who perpetually falls in love with new ideas. They’re filled with SO much promise. My wild mind runs all over the place exploring every little side path.

Once the train is locked on the tracks and I know the destination, I get a bit panicked. It’s like my brain thinks I’ll never get to start something fresh again. Life will get dull. And I’ll lose all my joy.

Oh mental gremlins! You’re hilarious! You come up with the best stories to scare my wee creative heart.

Commitment is sexy and fun

Let’s chat about the elephant in the room. Commitment. Choosing the project (book, quilt, painting, business, etc.) that you’ve decided is the one. The one you’re taking all the way to the finish.

That takes courage. Choosing requires knowing yourself. In a world constantly tempting us with millions of Instagram posts, fresh videos, and a never-ending menu of ideas, we’ve fallen for the delusion that more is better.

Choosing the project you’re committed to is a bit like falling in love. But true love ~ the kind that scares you a little. Because you know it’s not going to be easy. You know it’s going to ask you to be vulnerable and brave.

You may not be the same person when you finish. And that’s scary to the gal who’s about to leap into that adventure.

But it’s also hella exciting.

Once you’re past the first bold leap and you’ve wandered into the wild woods, how do you stay enthusiastic? What do you do when the doubt gremlins come taunting? Or worse, when you’re bored and wonder if you made the right choice?

Bring magic and whimsy to the party

Like any relationship, there will be times that you question your choices. You’ll get annoyed. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll wonder whether you were ever meant to write a damn book, anyway.

I cannot count how many times I have felt that way.

These are completely normal and expected feelings. If you’ve ever seen those hilarious diagrams of the creative process, you know what I mean. Doubt is along for the ride as the shadow-side of faith. And fear is the road trip buddy for anyone with a brave heart.

So, when you’re staring down boredom, it’s time to source some whimsy. Pull out your dance mix, throw an impromptu writing date with your friends at a cafe, grab your tarot cards and get some insight. You need a sparkle of fun!

We adults make everything so serious. I fall into this trap all the time. Obsessing about the finish line when the real fun is right here, right now.

If you’re really stuck, take a day off. Go outside. Play with a puppy. Get yourself a fresh vista. Remember that you live in a big, amazing world filled with wonder. And if you really need a hand getting a magic infusion, book a reading with Mei Ling Tsui.

I’ve done several and I highly recommend them!

Join a supportive cohort or mastermind

The longer I’ve been writing, the more I appreciate support. I love working side by side with my favourite creatives. We’ll chat for a bit, then pop on our headphones and get to making. We groove off each other’s productive energy.

I get focused so much faster! I also get more done and have an amazing time. This isn’t just me. The fashionable term for this phenomenon is body doubling. Though that sounds a bit X-Files-ish to me.

I prefer the term energy matching. Or empathic creating. It’s a bit like being in a bike peloton or maybe how it feels to be in a pod of dolphins ~ where the group energy is a powerful force that carries you faster and farther than you could go on your own.

Another approach is to join a group like many did for the 100 Day Project.

I was part of a fabulous group of women in Brush Notes with Michelle Reeves. We shared our work each day as we cheered one another on. I loved it! I credit it fully for helping me to complete a detailed scene-by-scene book outline.

If you’ve done this, there are a million decisions that need to be made about setting, character, plot, and twists. Especially for a book like my sequel to Blue Moon, my urban fantasy series.

A third approach to support is a mastermind, writing group, or a cohort. I run a writing cohort for women who plan to write a book and want support on each step of the process. I created it because I’ve experienced the power of a group to help you act on what matters. And I wanted to provide that to other women.

If you’d like to know more, I have details here.

Celebrate wins along the way

My biggest lesson from years of writing is how important it is to celebrate the little wins. Writing a book takes a while. Publishing and promoting a book takes even longer. So taking time to celebrate along the way is how you truly enjoy yourself.

It’s too easy ~ and I’ve done this ~ to forget to applaud your creative genius. She works so hard. She shows up. She gives you ideas. She shares her enthusiasm. So when I ignore her and focus too much on the deadlines?

She gets hella mad and goes on strike.

It looks a bit like this: Me heads down for weeks without remembering to revel in the miracle of weaving a story out of thin air. Slowly running out of delight and turning a wondrous act into a grind. Silly, silly Kate!

You need to celebrate yourself. The 100 words that might not have happened but you showed up. The chapter you finished that almost broke your heart. The outline you shoved aside for months that a creative cohort cheered you to finish.

Is it the published book? Not yet. But it will be.

Books are made from ideas, then outlines, then drafts, and finally manuscripts.

The big leaps don’t happen without the small steps. Marathons are made up of months of training runs. The painting you adore was inspired by multiple sketches and dozens of classes.

Besides life deserves to be celebrated. I hope to write many more books and run many more cohorts. I plan to make many videos and to delight in dozens of articles.

Celebrating feels like what those offerings deserve.

A little thank you from my heart.
xo Kate

---

Ways to Work with Me

✨ Bring Your Book to Life with one hour or multi-hour coaching. Have a story to tell, but don’t know where to start? I’ll guide you through the stage you’re in. I’m also growing my waitlist for a Book Planning Cohort. Interested? Send me a DM or email.

✨ Joyful Creating: How to Stay Inspired without Losing Your Spark is a delightful book that helps you keep your spark through the creative process. It’s about inspiration, restoration, and the simple truth that joy is your source of power.

📚 My Books: Find my books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, & Indigo.
Romantasy: Jump in with Messenger.
Urban Fantasy: You’ll adore Blue Moon.

---

☕️ If you enjoyed this, consider buying me a coffee! It’s the elixir that keeps my words flowing. Thanks!