As the year draws to a close, many writers carry more than just tiredness with them.
They carry unfinished drafts.
Unmet intentions.
A quiet sense of pressure or disappointment — the feeling that they should have done more.
And yet, the truth is this:
Ending a writing year isn’t about tallying what you did or didn’t complete.
It’s about how you close the cycle — internally, emotionally, and creatively — so you can step forward with clarity instead of carrying invisible weight into what comes next.
This is where your author pathway begins.
You Are Not Behind — You Are Still on the Path
If you’re feeling heaviness around your writing as the year ends, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
As long as you’re still listening to the pull of your story…
still feeling called to write…
still willing to show up in whatever way you can…
You are still on the path.
Sometimes what looks like stagnation from the outside is actually preparation happening beneath the surface.
Sometimes a book isn’t ready to be written yet — not because the writer isn’t capable, but because they weren’t meant to write it from the beliefs, pressure, or expectations they were carrying at the time.
Pauses are not mistakes.
They are often alignment in progress.
Why Closing the Year Cleanly Matters
What we rehearse emotionally becomes familiar.
And familiarity shapes how we move forward.
When writers mentally replay disappointment, guilt, or “I should have done more” narratives, the nervous system continues to respond as if those experiences are still happening — even when the year itself has ended.
Closing the year cleanly is not about erasing the past.
It’s about releasing what no longer belongs with you, while keeping the wisdom and growth you gained along the way.
When you do this intentionally, you create space — not just emotionally, but creatively.
Space is where clarity lives.
And clarity is what allows purpose to emerge.
Releasing What You’re Not Meant to Carry Forward
Before you can step fully into a new writing year, it’s important to lighten the load.
That might mean releasing:
- Pressure to “catch up”
- Expectations that no longer fit your life
- Guilt around what didn’t get finished
- Old stories about what your writing should look like
Letting go doesn’t mean dismissing your effort.
It means choosing not to punish yourself for a path that unfolded exactly as it needed to.
You get to close the year with compassion, clarity, and self-trust.
The Power of a State Shift
Release alone isn’t enough.
If you stay in reflection too long, the body can remain oriented toward the past — even after you’ve let go emotionally.
This is where an intentional state shift becomes powerful.
By briefly redirecting attention outward — opening the eyes, engaging the senses, grounding in the present moment — the nervous system receives a clear signal:
The releasing is complete.
From here, awareness can be brought back inward — not to process, but to activate.
This is the crossing point between one year and the next.
You are no longer closing what was.
You are choosing what comes next.
Stepping Into Your Future Author Self
From a grounded, present state, it becomes possible to look ahead — not with pressure, but with intention.
Imagine yourself at the end of the year ahead.
This version of you didn’t wait for confidence before writing.
They didn’t disappear when resistance showed up.
They stayed.
They honoured one meaningful writing focus — not perfectly, but consistently.
And through that commitment, trust was built.
Writing became something that moved through you, rather than something you had to force.
You showed up as a vessel for the story — allowing the words to flow when they were ready, without demanding certainty first.
This future version of you didn’t do everything.
They did what mattered.
And that made all the difference.
Courage Over Certainty
One of the most important truths for writers to remember is this:
Courage doesn’t require certainty.
You don’t need a perfectly mapped year.
You don’t need to feel completely ready.
You only need to stay connected to the path — and take the next honest step when it’s revealed.
Resistance will still appear.
Not as a sign that you’re doing it wrong — but as a natural response to doing something that matters.
When it does, returning to this future reference point can help guide your next choice.
Not the entire plan.
Just the next aligned step.
Moving Forward With Clarity and Purpose
As you step into the year ahead, allow:
- Clarity to guide you rather than comparison
- Alignment to lead instead of urgency
- Presence to replace pressure
You don’t need to force your writing forward.
You are the vessel for your story.
And when you trust that — when you stay connected to who you are becoming — the words will flow in their own time, in their own way.
This is your author pathway.
🎧 Listen to the Podcast Episode
This article is based on a guided future-vision activation from the Write the Darn Book podcast.
You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts here:
👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/write-the-darn-book-beat-writers-block/id1858775581
💗 Ready for Deeper Support?
If this resonated with you and you’re ready for deeper support to break through your blocks and finally write the book you’re meant to write, I currently have a few spots available for 1:1 coaching.
If you feel called to explore working together, head to
👉 https://maddisonmichaels.com/coaching
and reach out — we’ll chat and see whether we’re the right fit for each other.
