Keep It Up

Pep Talk Classic

Hello, Pep Talkers…

I was looking for a little inspiration myself today and came across this Pep Talk from a year ago. Here it is with an addendum for 2026 at the end.

Keep it Up

When people ask me about how I manage to finish my novels, I explain to them that writing is about momentum. Writing begets writing. It’s why a daily practice is important because the more you write, the more your will write. And then the story starts to take over and you have to write.

Once you stop, it’s the restart that becomes the challenge.

But writing isn’t magic. I think a lot of activities are about momentum. Once you fit something regularly into your daily life, you’re more likely to do it. You have the gear or the drive or the muscle memory and the makes it easier to cash in on momentum. Exercise or fitness, certainly. Cooking and cleaning become habits. Yard work, reading, getting together with friends, going to church- all examples of activities that are easier to keep doing if you keep doing them. Do you know what I mean?

So Keep It Up, Pep Talkers. Whatever positive activity that’s adding to your life, just keep doing it. Now is not the time to let those good habits slip. We need all the good vibes we can muster.

Cheers, Lian

Update from 2026: I’ve been struggling with my fiction writing momentum this year, distracted by things like family events, the Olympics, staring into space, hunting and gathering massive amounts of protein and, um, Substack.

But yesterday, a college friend mistakenly Facetimed the group chat. (Did you even know you could FaceTime the group chat?) I picked up thinking that this must be some kind of emergency Bat Signal and she needed to reach us all stat. But, no. Pure mistake. But then, there were three of us chatting away in the middle of a work day, catching up on all things personal and professional. Technically, it wasn’t a work day for my friend who butt dialed because she retired 3 weeks ago. True to true to form, she has now started more leisure time activities in the last 21 days than most folks do in a lifetime. (Hello, Ikebana.) When I voiced that I was struggling with my work in progress and finding the momentum I needed to keep it up, she reminded me that she loves reading my short essays and why wasn't that as valid in terms of my daily writing as whole novel? That really pepped me up. And gave me a little momentum as I sort out my work life in 2026.

So to those of you who need to get back on track, FaceTime the Group Chat! And Keep It Up!

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