The “Have Fun with It” Paradox
This is what “having fun with it” feels like after an hour of heavy bag work—shoulders burning, form falling apart. My boxing coaches use this phrase when training gets tough, and it sounds absurd when you’re exhausted. But they’re not talking about yukking it up. They’re talking about finding a joy in the work itself, even when it’s hard.
Virginia Woolf captured the writer’s reality in Orlando: “how he wrote and it seemed good; read and it seemed vile; corrected and tore up; cut out; put in; was in ecstasy; in despair; had his good nights and bad mornings.” She was absolutely right about the cycle. Yet successful writers and artists know how to get out of it, and neuroscience reveals why: There is a way to navigate those “tore up and cut out” phases without destroying your creative capacity in the process.
When “Not Fun” Becomes Productive
Research backs up what Coach Nelson intuited: reframe gnarly challenges as puzzles instead of threats, and you get laser-focus benefits without the emotional baggage that drains problem-solving energy.
When my shoulders are burning, I don’t stop or dwell on it. Sure, I notice it. But I keep going. I focus on what feels OK: my legs, my breath, my form. Then I reframe the problem: What do I need to work on to improve? Speed? Power? Conditioning? By the end of the round, I have plans A, B, and C.
The same reframing that gets me through burning shoulders helps my ghostwriting and developmental editing clients push through book decisions that feel overwhelming. Instead of spiraling into “this $%#@ is too much,” we shift to “what is this trying to tell us?”
Case Study: The Curiosity Reframe in Action
As a book strategist and developmental editor, I worked with an author who wanted to self-publish but had a very high bar for the look of the book. Think “print on demand” but with beautiful materials. He felt overwhelmed by production decisions. Hardcover or softcover? Cloth or printed? Foil treatments or blind stamping? What is blind stamping anyway? Each choice felt like a minefield; each decision a hazard.
For this new author, the production world was a reframe brought—dare I say it?—excitement. Instead of “What if I choose the wrong materials?” we shifted to “What does this choice convey about my book’s idea?” Suddenly, each decision became a creative puzzle connected to his deeper purpose.
Meaning as the North Star
Each book is composed of elements that act together like a team. I often work with a team to wrangle those elements, working closely with designers to harmonize vision (author) with content (me) with materials and design (designer). What keeps three high-powered visionaries in sync during book development is the author’s North Star. You can also DIY or use an author service (hybrid publisher) to blend your vision with design/formatting expertise.
Before you commit, ask yourself: “How does this serve my book’s idea?”
This question can hold the line against overwhelm and be a pathway to the systematic thinking you need to expand creative possibilities. It connects practical choices to deeper purpose, transforms technical decisions into creative acts. You might just be choosing paper weight, but this framework prevents paralysis (and flashy, expensive choices that don’t serve your story).
Where Joy Meets Precision
The work is hard, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Woolf understood the creative cycle; Coach Nelson knows how to navigate difficulty with purpose and even joy. Your book deserves both the depth of artistic vision and the practical tools to push through when it gets tough.
Ready to Reframe Your Book Development Journey?
If you have a book idea that deserves collaborative partnership, let’s explore what that could look like together. What challenge in your book project could use a reframe? Contact me!—I’d love help tame your book nightmares.
Elizabeth Smith is a ghostwriter, developmental editor, and book strategist with two decades of publishing experience—and a southpaw with a mean right hook. Between a NYC boxing gym and her Mojave Desert maison, she helps thinkers, creatives, and organizations articulate their ideas through books that resonate deeply. Ready to transform your vision into a book with impact? Let’s connect!
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