The Unexpected Return: A Journey Back to Craft
TLDR: I'm thrilled to announce my new services! Settle in for the story, or scroll down for the quick service rundown.
A year ago, I made a bold declaration: I was done with writing—at least, writing for others. It was a moment of wiping the slate clean. After a decade of ghostwriting and editing business and personal development books, I felt burnt out and ready for a change. The announcement was a year and a half in the making; I had slowly come to grips with my long-standing dissatisfaction and made plans to exit. I left the writing-for-hire world with a mix of excitement and trepidation, ready to explore new horizons in creative coaching and shamanic work.
Plot twist! Little did I know, life had other plans.
Barely weeks after my grand announcement, my personal circumstances shifted dramatically. Suddenly, I found myself frantically applying for 30 jobs in two weeks—a comical endeavor for someone who hadn't sought traditional employment in over 16 years. To say that I was out of touch with what is required to be a compelling job applicant is an understatement. Being self-employed will—eventually and inevitably—make you damn near unemployable (a friend once said to me, “We can’t go back now. We’re pirates.”).
Just as I was about to start my third week of frantic job-searching, past clients serendipitously sought help with books, proposals, and coaching. At first, it felt like a step backward (I had made my declaration, damn it!). It felt like a step back but also an important step to take given the circumstances, so I said yes. What fortunate luck that those projects came along when they did.
As I worked with these new (old) clients over the following three months, I realized: I didn't hate this. In fact… I kind of liked it. What had changed? Three things dawned on me:
1. Scale: I wasn't trying to build an empire anymore. Gone were the days of managing a full-time employee, five contractors, and juggling countless projects.
2. Quality over Quantity: My clients were passionate about their work and focused on making a difference rather than chasing fame or fortune. Their primary goal was to get the message out there—what they were creating was not necessarily intended for personal gain, although it did have a pay-off.
3. Personal Growth: I had shed the ill-fitting "bro-entrepreneur" mindset that had been slowly suffocating my passion. In this new iteration, my motives changed, too. I didn’t need to make a name for myself as an entrepreneur anymore. I needed to earn a living doing work I was good at, working with people I enjoy; I needed time with my daughter that didn’t feel rushed and pressured; and I needed time and space to practice the shamanic healing work.
Most importantly, I rediscovered my love for stories—real, human stories.
I found myself drawn to clients who wanted to tell their stories—messy, traumatic, boring, exciting, triumphant, or wild stories. This was the heart of what I loved about writing: the ability to help people process their experiences, find meaning, and share their unique perspectives with the world.
The act of writing down your story with all of its holes, sadness, hardships, and wins is so cathartic, so healing in and of itself. That’s part of the reason I got into writing as a profession in the first place. I needed to process the wonder of traveling through South America alone and the grief of losing my mother the year before. Helping people do this is a privilege.
In other words, I am back in business as a writing coach and sometimes-writer-for-hire, specifically for those who want help crafting and reshaping their personal stories, in whatever form that might take (essay, memoir, short story, etc). I’ve written more about this work below.
There was never a moment where I regretted my grand proclamation (okay, maybe one moment of chagrin, right at the start of the plot twist). I think fellow writer
said it best when she wrote about wiping the slate clean:…wiping the slate clean and having a phoenix experience is essential now and again to clear the psychic plumbing of grit, gobs of congealed hair, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, a viral song, and whatever else gets caught in these pipes.
A good tabula rasa lets loose creatures within that have hibernated, gotten stuck in the freeze response, given up the notion of feasting, spun in endless circles in captivity, or have growled viciously to try and assert boundaries, to no avail. All of these soft, palpable animals finally can move how they need to, unconstrained by the limitations that sameness and rigid identity place on their bodies.
That act of starting over, of throwing off the titles and all of the ideas and expectations that came with it was cathartic and moved me to where I am now. It allowed me to feel what it’s like when someone asks you “What do you do?” and your only response is “I don’t know right now.” (Answer: terrifying, ungrounding, and freeing.) It left me free to see what really mattered to me and to the people I was working with. And it left me free to pursue a new kind of joy—and to share that joy with others. The journey might be messy and winding, but that’s exactly what you sign up for when you decide to be a writer.
Offerings
Zenith: Creative Co-Working Space
You’ve got ideas… lots of them. You fantasize about the time, sometime other than now, that you’ll be able to do the work to bring your ideas to life.
You tell yourself “When I’m finished with this [fill in the blank: project, season, phase of life, phase of your child’s life, health issue, previous goal], I’ll work on this idea. But somehow that time never comes and your creative instinct languishes.
But I’ve got news for you. Creativity doesn’t wait for the perfect moment.
The fantasy won’t amount to much if you never make the time to bring it into reality.
Zenith Creative Coworking is a weekly dedicated space for your creative work.
It’s a space that gives you time, accountability, and guidance. It’s a space where you get to focus on the creative work that feeds your curiosity and your soul.
It’s a space where you will work on the things that excite you.
There are only two rules:
thou shalt never do “work” during this time (no emails, no tasks, no bills, nothing that even remotely smells of productivity), and
thou shalt only do what truly excites you to do.
That’s it. You don’t have to “know what to do” or be a “great” (or even good) writer or artist. You don’t have to write; you can make art if you want. You don’t have to have a clear vision. You don’t have to have skillzzz.
All that’s required is a willingness to follow your creative intuition, impulses, and desires.
Narrative Alchemy
My journey as a writer has led me to a new offering that I'm thrilled to share with you: Narrative Alchemy. It's a service designed to help you:
Uncover and articulate your most impactful personal stories
Process and find meaning in your experiences
Craft compelling narratives that resonate with others
Use your stories as tools for personal growth, healing, or professional development
Clients who’ve been through this process have written memoirs, short stories, essays, and created art from their work with Narrative Alchemy. Whether you're looking to write a memoir or other creative work or simply gain clarity on your life's journey, Narrative Alchemy is a transformative process for rewriting your personal narrative, unearthing the hidden gems in your life experiences, and creating a more empowering version of your life story.
Learn more at contourofanidea.com or email me at sara@contourofanidea.com.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask.