S J Watson
@sjwatson.bsky.social
Writing. Photography. Drinking. Bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep. Podcaster. Substacker. Procrastinator. Dog dad. Tired.
Just your ordinary average everyday sane psycho super-goddess.
Just your ordinary average everyday sane psycho super-goddess.
The hardest part of creative work isn’t starting.
It’s what happens after the surge.
If you lose momentum once the intensity fades, there’s a psychological reason — and a simple way to stay connected without burnout.
I wrote about both.
sjwatson.substack.com/p/after-the-...
It’s what happens after the surge.
If you lose momentum once the intensity fades, there’s a psychological reason — and a simple way to stay connected without burnout.
I wrote about both.
sjwatson.substack.com/p/after-the-...
AFTER THE STORM
What happens to your creative self after a big push?
sjwatson.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:07 AM
The hardest part of creative work isn’t starting.
It’s what happens after the surge.
If you lose momentum once the intensity fades, there’s a psychological reason — and a simple way to stay connected without burnout.
I wrote about both.
sjwatson.substack.com/p/after-the-...
It’s what happens after the surge.
If you lose momentum once the intensity fades, there’s a psychological reason — and a simple way to stay connected without burnout.
I wrote about both.
sjwatson.substack.com/p/after-the-...
Most people don’t abandon their creativity in one dramatic moment but step away from it in tiny ways.
“I’ll come back when I have time/feel better/when it matters again.”
That waiting is the loss.
Time To Come Back isn’t motivation or productivity advice.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
“I’ll come back when I have time/feel better/when it matters again.”
That waiting is the loss.
Time To Come Back isn’t motivation or productivity advice.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
If you’ve ever felt far from your work — distracted, overwhelmed, unsure how to begin again — you’re not alone. Time To Come Back is a quiet space I’m creating for anyone who wants to reconnect with their creative life without pressure, urgency, or performance.
subscribepage.io
December 12, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Most people don’t abandon their creativity in one dramatic moment but step away from it in tiny ways.
“I’ll come back when I have time/feel better/when it matters again.”
That waiting is the loss.
Time To Come Back isn’t motivation or productivity advice.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
“I’ll come back when I have time/feel better/when it matters again.”
That waiting is the loss.
Time To Come Back isn’t motivation or productivity advice.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
Reposted by S J Watson
Most people don’t need more productivity.
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
If you’ve ever felt far from your work — distracted, overwhelmed, unsure how to begin again — you’re not alone. Time To Come Back is a quiet space I’m creating for anyone who wants to reconnect with their creative life without pressure, urgency, or performance.
subscribepage.io
November 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Most people don’t need more productivity.
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
Most people don’t need more productivity.
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
If you’ve ever felt far from your work — distracted, overwhelmed, unsure how to begin again — you’re not alone. Time To Come Back is a quiet space I’m creating for anyone who wants to reconnect with their creative life without pressure, urgency, or performance.
subscribepage.io
November 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Most people don’t need more productivity.
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
They need permission to return to themselves.
That’s why I started Time To Come Back — a gentle weekly ritual to help you ease back into your creative life without pressure.
It’s here whenever you’re ready.
subscribepage.io/timetocomeback
Doing NaNoWriMo? Most stalled drafts don’t die because the writer can’t write — they die because the path ahead goes foggy.
I made a tiny 5-step guide that gets you back into your draft in ten minutes.
If you’re stuck:
sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
I made a tiny 5-step guide that gets you back into your draft in ten minutes.
If you’re stuck:
sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
The Anti-Abandon Formula - A tiny guide to finally finishing your draft
Most drafts are abandoned for one reason: you lose clarity.You forget what the book is about.You lose track of your character’s goal.You don’t know what happens next.And when the path ahead goes foggy...
sjwatson.gumroad.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Doing NaNoWriMo? Most stalled drafts don’t die because the writer can’t write — they die because the path ahead goes foggy.
I made a tiny 5-step guide that gets you back into your draft in ten minutes.
If you’re stuck:
sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
I made a tiny 5-step guide that gets you back into your draft in ten minutes.
If you’re stuck:
sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
If your draft has stalled, especially mid-November, you’re not alone. Most writers lose clarity about what their book is and what comes next. I made a tiny PDF with the exact 5-step routine I use to restart abandoned drafts. Here it is → sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
The Anti-Abandon Formula - A tiny guide to finally finishing your draft
Most drafts are abandoned for one reason: you lose clarity.You forget what the book is about.You lose track of your character’s goal.You don’t know what happens next.And when the path ahead goes foggy...
sjwatson.gumroad.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
If your draft has stalled, especially mid-November, you’re not alone. Most writers lose clarity about what their book is and what comes next. I made a tiny PDF with the exact 5-step routine I use to restart abandoned drafts. Here it is → sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/antiabando...
I put together a small craft PDF today — **Raise the Stakes**.
Three fast story moves for making your scenes more urgent.
£2.99 on Gumroad: sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/raisethest...
Three fast story moves for making your scenes more urgent.
£2.99 on Gumroad: sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/raisethest...
Raise the Stakes — A Micro-Guide for Making Any Scene More Urgent
Three fast, brutal, reliable story moves — from a bestselling novelist — to inject real tension into your draft.Stories fall flat when the stakes are vague, distant, or simply loud. Danger alone isn’t...
sjwatson.gumroad.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I put together a small craft PDF today — **Raise the Stakes**.
Three fast story moves for making your scenes more urgent.
£2.99 on Gumroad: sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/raisethest...
Three fast story moves for making your scenes more urgent.
£2.99 on Gumroad: sjwatson.gumroad.com/l/raisethest...
It’s live.
My Substack has a new name and a new heart.
Writing from the Wound — stories, fragments, and reflections on creativity, memory, and the art of turning pain into meaning.
Come see what’s next.
Sjwatson.substack.com
My Substack has a new name and a new heart.
Writing from the Wound — stories, fragments, and reflections on creativity, memory, and the art of turning pain into meaning.
Come see what’s next.
Sjwatson.substack.com
Writing from the Wound | S J Watson | Substack
From a New York Times bestselling novelist: stories and fragments from what still aches. Writing as transformation, fiction, truth, and the wound between them. Click to read Writing from the Wound, by...
Sjwatson.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:45 AM
It’s live.
My Substack has a new name and a new heart.
Writing from the Wound — stories, fragments, and reflections on creativity, memory, and the art of turning pain into meaning.
Come see what’s next.
Sjwatson.substack.com
My Substack has a new name and a new heart.
Writing from the Wound — stories, fragments, and reflections on creativity, memory, and the art of turning pain into meaning.
Come see what’s next.
Sjwatson.substack.com
