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I Put This Book Aside for Two Years. Here’s What Happened
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a stuck book is stop forcing it.
In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I’m back from a two-day drive from Texas to Pennsylvania, and somewhere along those long highway hours, a stalled novel finally started working again. A book I had put aside nearly two years ago suddenly clicked into place—not because I was grinding harder, but because I’d given the story time, space, and enough life experience to come back to it with new perspective.
This one is for writers, creatives, and creative entrepreneurs who have unfinished drafts, stalled projects, muddy middles, abandoned ideas, or old folders full of “someday” stories. Sometimes a book isn’t dead. Sometimes it just needs to wait until you’re ready to understand what it’s trying to become.
I also talk about why thinking counts as writing, how road trips, showers, walks, and quiet time can unlock creative breakthroughs, how I use AI carefully in my own process, and why characters—not gimmicks, plot devices, or even cool technology—are the real heart of a story.
If you’re on your writing and publishing journey, subscribe to the channel. This is the place for practical, honest, real-world guidance for writers who want to build better books, stronger creative habits, and sustainable author careers.
In this episode:
00:00 – Back from Texas and the road trip that sparked new ideas
01:50 – Why driving alone can unlock creative breakthroughs
02:40 – Capturing ideas without killing them too early
04:02 – A practical tip for using AI without losing your voice
05:20 – Returning to a book after nearly two years away
06:46 – Why setting a stuck novel aside can be the right move
08:16 – How old unfinished drafts can become new books
09:08 – How pieces of abandoned novels helped create a bestseller
10:46 – Returning to the Quake Runner: Alex Kayne series
12:18 – What happens when reality catches up with your fiction
14:27 – Why character is the heart of every story
16:54 – Exploring dependence, paranoia, and moral gray areas in fiction
19:24 – Thinking time is writing time
20:22 – Protecting your writing time, even when no words come
22:20 – How the mind keeps creating when distractions disappear
23:24 – Join the conversation on YouTube
24:25 – Why I’m building this writing community
26:46 – Where to find me, my books, and more
Links mentioned:
Wordslinger Podcast:
https://wordslingerpodcast.com
ProWritingAid:
https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5
Draft2Digital:
https://draft2digital.com/wordslinger
AuthorAnchor:
https://authoranchor.com
Find Kevin and his books:
https://kevintumlinson.com
Join Kevin on Substack:
https://kevintumlinson.substack.com
More from Kevin:
Visit Knovelton Books:
https://knoveltonbooks.com
If this episode helps you rethink an abandoned draft, stalled project, or creative block, leave a comment and tell me what you’re working on. And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with another writer who needs to hear that their unfinished book may not be finished with them yet.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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By It's all about the story here.
4.8
5757 ratings
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a stuck book is stop forcing it.
In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I’m back from a two-day drive from Texas to Pennsylvania, and somewhere along those long highway hours, a stalled novel finally started working again. A book I had put aside nearly two years ago suddenly clicked into place—not because I was grinding harder, but because I’d given the story time, space, and enough life experience to come back to it with new perspective.
This one is for writers, creatives, and creative entrepreneurs who have unfinished drafts, stalled projects, muddy middles, abandoned ideas, or old folders full of “someday” stories. Sometimes a book isn’t dead. Sometimes it just needs to wait until you’re ready to understand what it’s trying to become.
I also talk about why thinking counts as writing, how road trips, showers, walks, and quiet time can unlock creative breakthroughs, how I use AI carefully in my own process, and why characters—not gimmicks, plot devices, or even cool technology—are the real heart of a story.
If you’re on your writing and publishing journey, subscribe to the channel. This is the place for practical, honest, real-world guidance for writers who want to build better books, stronger creative habits, and sustainable author careers.
In this episode:
00:00 – Back from Texas and the road trip that sparked new ideas
01:50 – Why driving alone can unlock creative breakthroughs
02:40 – Capturing ideas without killing them too early
04:02 – A practical tip for using AI without losing your voice
05:20 – Returning to a book after nearly two years away
06:46 – Why setting a stuck novel aside can be the right move
08:16 – How old unfinished drafts can become new books
09:08 – How pieces of abandoned novels helped create a bestseller
10:46 – Returning to the Quake Runner: Alex Kayne series
12:18 – What happens when reality catches up with your fiction
14:27 – Why character is the heart of every story
16:54 – Exploring dependence, paranoia, and moral gray areas in fiction
19:24 – Thinking time is writing time
20:22 – Protecting your writing time, even when no words come
22:20 – How the mind keeps creating when distractions disappear
23:24 – Join the conversation on YouTube
24:25 – Why I’m building this writing community
26:46 – Where to find me, my books, and more
Links mentioned:
Wordslinger Podcast:
https://wordslingerpodcast.com
ProWritingAid:
https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5
Draft2Digital:
https://draft2digital.com/wordslinger
AuthorAnchor:
https://authoranchor.com
Find Kevin and his books:
https://kevintumlinson.com
Join Kevin on Substack:
https://kevintumlinson.substack.com
More from Kevin:
Visit Knovelton Books:
https://knoveltonbooks.com
If this episode helps you rethink an abandoned draft, stalled project, or creative block, leave a comment and tell me what you’re working on. And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with another writer who needs to hear that their unfinished book may not be finished with them yet.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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