This month, we’re discussing Creative Isolation: not just being alone, but being disconnected. If you’re exhausted, then you must be working… right? Wrong.
You can’t keep doing this alone. If you think you can, maybe the better question is: how long are you willing to wait for the realization of your creative dreams?
Confessions of an Indie Author:
I have a confession to make: I, too, am isolating. My life is hard right now, but I don’t like showing my vulnerabilities. I prefer to hide behind my efficiency and let my routine mask the deep hurts that have hit me lately. I don’t like appearing less than the professional, put-together version I most often post online.
Sound familiar?
I, too, am guilty of wheel-spinning, perfectionism, and all the other icky stuff that comes with doing a thing largely alone.
All that changed when I decided to let someone else in. I reached out into a void, and the void answered. Almost instantly, in fact.
What Happened When I Collaborated:
Meet Elizabeth. She’s a bang-up developmental editor, and now I can confidently say, a dear friend.
If you want to read our origin story, she wrote about it in the Foreword to The Daily Grind. Thanks again. Suffice it to say, we started on a different project altogether, and that one is still on the back burner, perhaps due to similar advice, but she helped me get through a sticky spot on TDG, which I KNEW was my next novel, and I was right.
I don’t remember her exact words, but she told me it wasn’t finished. The novel that I had been toiling over, off and on granted, for upwards of a decade, wasn’t finished. What? I thought it was. I couldn’t see past the ending, in point of fact.
If I hadn’t had her extra perspective, that book would have remained, as so many of my (and I’m sure some of your) projects have, languishing in a drawer.
But, no!
The Daily Grind is out there! YOU can read it! Because I asked for help. Now here’s a funny story:
In her own words: My editor, Elizabeth.
I have always said I am an editor, not a writer. I have never had the burning desire to write anything other than short-form things about butterflies, gardens, and life on my Facebook. Then I started working with Linsey on her writing. I fell in love with her format of short character vignettes that all weave together into a bigger story. One day, I happened to be at the gym working out and people watching and decided that Linsey could write something amazing about the people at a gym, how they are all separate and doing their own things, but also all together, secretly cheering each other on. It’s a strange community, the gym people.
I messaged her and told her ‘the story you could write about these people!’ Her response: ‘You should write it.’She issued a dare, a challenge I felt compelled to accept. Her format isn’t as intimidating as plodding through 80k words for a full-blown fiction. So, I borrowed it. At her nudging, ‘Gym People’ is slowly but surely coming to life. 5 separate people living their lives separately but together, with created backstories and issues to sort through. I have never felt compelled to stretch my writing wings, but because of my continuing relationship with Linsey as an editor, and her encouragement as a writer, I have found that writing helps me become a better editor. Now, I know the other side of the editing process, and I’m much closer-acquainted with the struggles my clients go through when creating, editing, and finally giving their work life in publishing.
Break the Cycle:
Can’t you see? It helped us BOTH in ways we never would have expected and couldn’t have predicted. Like MAGIC. I’m a big believer in magic. How bout you? Wanna give it a shot?
What would it take for you to break the cycle? Of Isolation? Of Wheel-Spinning? Of Perfectionism? I offer a few options, but it doesn’t have to be me. You can share your work with anyone…but make sure it’s the right person.
CAVEAT!
Here’s who TO SHARE your work with:
- Encouraging people or the Cheerleaders of your Life. You know the ones who will build you up, not dream-crush.
- Creatives: It doesn’t matter if they don’t read/write/work in your genre. ANYONE who is ACTIVELY creating will encourage you to do the same. I dare you to try this.
- Someone on the path ahead of you: It’s safe to ask for mentorship. It may not come from the direction you expect, but opening yourself to it is a start.
- ME! I would LOVE to hear about your struggles and successes! Please reach out!
Here’s who NOT TO SHARE with:
- Negative Nancys or Debbie Downers: ANYONE who is NOT supporting your work artistically, emotionally, and/or financially does NOT get a say in how you do it. Period.
- Other blocked creatives: the ones who LIKE to complain about how they never get anything done? Steer clear.
- Critics: The time will come, but it is not now, when you will need a critical eye. Like your Inner Critic, give them a job to do, then remind them politely to stay in their lane.

SUMMER READING Videos on Instagram and YouTube!
Check out my channels for the video Introduction and 1 QUARTER Review!
REMINDER: You can win a PRIZE (some examples are coming soon in the Halfway Video!) by commenting on the video, DMing me on those platforms, or emailing linseyewing@gmail.com with the subject: SUMMER READING
I’d love to hear from you!
F(inish) It Framework: Mentality for 2026
I am running my business and my life through the exact framework of my signature program, F(inish) It.
- If you’re feeling burnt out, or like another thing on your list would break you
- If you need to add some intentionality, or you’re ready to stop making excuses
- If you are ready to stop starting and actually cross the finish line
Contact Me or COMMENT below, and we’ll make a customized plan for you and your project.
Ready to go deeper?
Book a free intro call and let’s talk about your work: FREE 15-minute check-in. You won’t regret it.








