Hi everyone,

Joanna Penn’s insights on writing energy types have been a great source of clarity in how I approach my projects. Joanna often talks about the different types of energy required at different stages of the writing, editing, and publishing process, and I find myself in the midst of an energy shift at the moment.

Starting Energy is pure excitement—that lightning bolt moment when a character whispers their secret or a plot twist reveals itself. This energy feels effortless because it is. Your brain is doing what it loves: creating something from nothing.

Writing Energy is different entirely. It’s the deep focus required to translate ideas into sentences, paragraphs, scenes. This is flow state energy—harder to summon but incredibly productive when it arrives.

Finishing Energy might be the toughest. It’s the grinding determination needed for scenes that bore you, transitions that feel clunky, endings that won’t cooperate. This energy feels like work because it is work.

Editing Energy requires surgical precision. You’re not creating anymore; you’re problem-solving. Your manuscript is a patient, and you’re diagnosing what needs fixing.

Polishing Energy demands patience and perfectionism. Multiple reads, external feedback, line-by-line refinement. It’s detail-oriented energy that can drain you faster than writing itself.

Publishing Energy is business energy—researching markets, crafting queries, managing submissions. Completely different skillset, completely different mindset.

But here’s the crucial seventh: Rebuilding Energy. Knowing when to step away isn’t defeat—it’s strategy. Sometimes your best writing move is closing the laptop and trusting that inspiration will return, often stronger than before. And that’s where I find myself at the moment. With 2 projects in “editing”, one in “writing”, the one I really need to work on in “finishing” and the one I really want to work on in “starting”, I’m really just plain exhausted.

So I’m going to be kind to myself and take a break for a few days.  Rebuild the energy I need to start fresh after Labor Day.  Knock out the edits. Finish the novel and decide what’s next from there.

See you all soon!

David