Dear Reader,
Happy Tuesday. If you were following my previous emails, you might have noticed that I was going to send this email on Sunday.
And yet here we are...
One thing I have learned as a working creative is that, yes, I do need to follow through on my word, but right timing is bigger.
So I give myself permission to create within flexible windows.
And the past couple days, my inbox was flooded—as yours surely also was—so I wanted to take intentional space to breathe, not compete with that noise. I wanted us both to feel centered.
But I also don't want to this window to close without reflecting on the Three-Day Adventure. It's entirely possible you followed along and haven't written (yet). Or you've written at least once. There's still time to finish them all... I'll leave the videos up through 2025.
Either way, this was an experiment that can reveal how we write, and there's always more we can learn. That's what today is for.
The most important part is that you can't get this wrong.
Unless you don't show up. Even then, you can return.
So here's the dismount reflection video.
Now that we've wrapped that up...
There's another reason I wanted to hold off. This morning, I spoke with my assistant about what I'm planning for 2026 and what, specifically, it looks like in practice so I could inform you.
Because like you, I believe big visions merit good guidance.
Here's the story:
Ten years ago this month, I was gathering up the courage to leave my teaching position, to become... an author of memoirs, yes, but something else too, and I wasn't sure what. Had something to do with life coaching, but also an editor and translator... Now I know.
What I am, underneath my roles as a book writing mentor and perennial podcaster, is the same thing I ever was... a language teacher. I just didn't have clear words for this new iteration.
When I made the German language accessible to learners, I was making English grammar structures understandable too, so they could become more fluent in both. Now I'm doing the same thing when I work with real-life writers on creative nonfiction, poetry, and sometimes fiction. And what is a real-life writer?
A real-life writer is someone whose lived experiences inform their writing, someone who writes to heal themselves before sharing.
Back then I only knew I had to live into this mystery role, although I was terrified to leave "safety" for something more. My nervous system was rattled. My inner voice demanded I leave anyway.
And here's the fascinating part... when you become an author, you aren't starting from scratch. You have a whole wealth of lived experience. Really it's about discernment. The people I work with are generally good with words. What I do is help them find their own language, and their true gifts, reframed for their voice in narrative craft. I had to live into those challenges myself.
Those challenging parts are where you build fluency. Capacity. Imagination. Muscle memory for creative habits. Where you find shiny objects AND you know how to make sense of them for yourself and readers.
If you leapfrog the exploring part of the creative writing process, you're missing YOURSELF. Your stories. Your voice. Your healing.
By engaging, you're building authentic, embodied narrative craft.
Authentic embodiment equals connection for readers.
So if you care about building your writing muscles, for the love of all that is sacred to you, allow yourself to be present without making it mean anything too soon. You're simply allowing.
For me, that required strong mentors and now I can teach it.
AND SO... If you enjoyed this little experiment with me, but you aren't ready to join my in-person Circle for Real-Life Writers, then I invite you to become a paid subscriber of my Substack for 2026. Not only will you receive each of my monthly 3-Day Courageous Adventures, but you will get Language Lessons for Writers.
Month by month you'll get video and written lessons centered on:
- My Courageous Framework for Creatives to build your own DIY Writer's Trail Map, a multilayered model that helps you navigate your developing narrative project over time.
- Wordsmithing lessons to embody the language of your own narrative craft, in your own style and voice.
- Case studies of me working with real-life book writers to follow along and apply lessons to your (book) project.
$11 / month or $125 / year is the beta price. I'll start adding new content come mid December. Lock in your rates, because I always charge less than full value while I'm beta testing.
But this is the good stuff.
Travel safely.
Love, Amy
PS—It bears repeating: I'm thankful you're part of my world. Join before December 24, 2025 and I'll send you my two full-color Courageous Framework reference cards by snail mail.
