Surviving the first sparring match of 2026 and staying optimistic.

In this episode of Between the Drafts, I reflect on January as a month that felt less like a fresh start and more like an unexpected sparring match: challenging, revealing, but ultimately survivable.

January held a mix of meaningful moments: welcoming a new year with intention-filled traditions, decluttering and reorganizing my art and writing spaces, and rediscovering dozens of unfinished stories that reminded me just how much creative work I’ve been sitting on.

I reflect on the quiet power of organization as creative work, the joy of gifting my daughter her own paint kit, and the clarity that came from finally taking inventory of my ideas. I also celebrate time spent with people I love, laughing, resting, reconnecting, along with stepping outside of my comfort zone in ways that felt deeply empowering. With the experience reminded me that confidence and creativity can exist just for me.

Alongside the cheers, I name the jeers honestly: not doing as much fiction writing as I hoped, navigating yet another winter storm, and facing creative redirection that shifted my plans for 2026. Instead of seeing these moments as failures, I’m learning to view them as information, as opportunities to pause, reassess, and adjust.

I close the episode by sharing my biggest lesson of 2026 so far: choosing myself to win. I reflect on how often we pour into others even when we’re empty, and my commitment to learning how to pour back into myself without waiting for someone else to do it for me.

This episode is both a reflection and an invitation to take stock of your own cheers and jeers, to acknowledge the wins alongside the frustrations, and to move forward with clarity, intention, and self-compassion.

After recording the latest episode, I found myself thinking more about creative redirection, the frustration, the freedom, and the quiet magic of it. So I wanted to take a few extra minutes to dig deeper, reflect out loud, and share what I’m learning in real time.

Consider this File 2.0 — a continuation, a softer pause, and an invitation to breathe before the next creative leap.

If creative redirection has been showing up in your life, whether loudly or quietly; I want to invite you to pause with it for a moment instead of rushing past it.

Take a breath. Grab your journal. There’s no need to rush these answers.

Reflect on the following:

• What inspired this redirection?
Was it exhaustion, excitement, curiosity, clarity, or something else entirely?

• How does this redirection feel in my body and in my spirit?
Does it feel heavy, relieving, confusing, expansive, aligned?

• What’s the good I can pull from this redirection — even if it’s not clear yet?
What might this shift be protecting or preparing me for?

There’s no right way to answer these. Let honesty lead instead of pressure.

If it doesn’t feel fully aligned yet, it’s okay to “parking lot” the idea and come back to it later. Creative redirection isn’t a command…it’s an invitation.

Redirection is not the end of the story. Sometimes, it’s the part that makes the story better.

As a thank you for supporting my work and as a companion to this episode, I created something special for you.

The Cheers & Jeers Monthly Scorecard is a reflection tool designed to help you take honest inventory of your month without judgment. Inspired by the way January felt like a sparring match, this scorecard allows you to track both the wins you landed and the hits you took with clarity, not criticism.

This isn’t about “winning” the month.

It’s about noticing what happened so you can adjust with intention.

Throughout the month, jot things down as they happen or sit with it at the end of the month and reflect all at once.

• Cheers (Landed Blows): Wins, moments of joy, softness, progress, alignment, growth.

• Jeers (Hits Taken): Challenges, fatigue, setbacks, redirections, frustrations.

Each entry gets a simple +1 or –1, not to keep score of your worth, but to give you a clear picture of your lived experience.

At the end of the month, total your score and ask yourself:

Which side landed more punches and what does that tell me? A draw still means you showed up.

On the second page, you’ll find a reflection section to help you zoom out and integrate the month as a whole:

• What did this month teach me?

• What patterns do I notice?

• What do I want to adjust moving forward?

• How can I support myself better next month?

Let this be a pause — not a postmortem.

You can download and use this scorecard digitally or print it out and keep it with your journal. I hope it becomes a grounding ritual you return to at the close of each month.

If you use this scorecard, I’d love to hear from you, did the cheers, the jeers, or the clarity win this month?

It’s not a race. It’s construction.

Welcome to the opening file of Between the Drafts and today’s file, I’m sharing my thoughts on the early construction phase of my first full-length screenplay, a thriller centered on motive, not mystery.

Before writing a single page, I have had to pause to understand the craft of screenwriting, reflecting on insights from Save the Cat and the moment I realized my story is a “why-dun-it.”

This episode briefly explores the difference between fiction and screenwriting, the power of slowing down, and how creative roadblocks can become essential building blocks when met with patience and grace. A reflective entry for writers and independent creatives learning to trust the process and keep going—without rushing the work.

This episode lives in the pause, the moment before forward motion, where clarity hasn’t arrived yet but something important is forming. Use the prompts below slowly. There’s no finish line here.

Think about a creative project or personal goal where progress feels stalled.

What feels blocked right now? Not emotionally, but practically?
If this pause isn’t stopping you but preparing you, what might it be asking you to understand before moving forward?
What questions do you need to answer for yourself before the next step can feel grounded?

Write without trying to fix anything. Let the insight arrive in its own time.

Consider how you usually speak to yourself when progress slows.

Where are you rushing yourself to reach an outcome instead of honoring the process?
What would it look like to give yourself patience during this phase—not as a reward, but as a strategy?
If this moment is about building foundations, what part of the work deserves acknowledgment right now?

Close your entry by writing one sentence of permission you want to carry forward.

Carry this with you today. Not as something to solve—but as something to feel.

Until Next Time….

-P. Rose

There’s a version of me that still flinches at the sight of a red pen.

Not because I don’t love writing, but because somewhere along the way, correction started to feel like rejection. Like proof that I got it wrong. Like my words weren’t enough.

In this episode of Between the Drafts, I’m unpacking that fear.

Where it started.How it followed me into adulthood.And what it looked like to sit down with intention, and face it head on.

This isn’t just about editing.

It’s about perfectionism.It’s about vulnerability.It’s about learning how to see feedback not as destruction… but as direction.

Because somewhere between the first draft and the final version, there’s a conversation happening, and the red pen might not be tearing your work apart…

It might be trying to guide you back to it.

🎧 Press play when you’re ready.

— P. Rose

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how easily we lose ourselves in the scroll.

Not in a dramatic way.

But in the quiet, subtle ways:Checking notifications before we check in with ourselves,Responding to everyone else before we respond to our own needs,Staying visible… even when we feel depleted.

And the truth is…

Sometimes, we don’t stay because we want to.We stay because we feel like we have to.

Because if we don’t post, don’t respond, don’t show up…We might fall behind.We might be forgotten or lose something. Or at least… that’s what we tell ourselves.

But what happens when you choose yourself anyway?

What happens when you log off… without explanation?

That’s what this week’s Between the Drafts file is about.

In this episode of Between the Drafts, I’m talking about something I didn’t plan for… side quests.

I went into 2026 with a clear goal: publish two novels. I’m still committed to that. But after adding an anthology into the mix, the pressure set in… and instead of outlining books or drafting chapters, I did something unexpected.

This episode is a continuation of my reflections on creative redirection and my latest post:

but it’s also a reframing. Side quests aren’t distractions. They’re invitations to play, to finish something lingering, to learn something new, and to reconnect with why we create in the first place.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for stepping away from “the plan,” this episode is for you.

In this episode of Between the Drafts, I reflect on January as a month that felt less like a fresh start and more like an unexpected sparring match: challenging, revealing, but ultimately survivable.

January held a mix of meaningful moments: welcoming a new year with intention-filled traditions, decluttering and reorganizing my art and writing spaces, and rediscovering dozens of unfinished stories that reminded me just how much creative work I’ve been sitting on.

I reflect on the quiet power of organization as creative work, the joy of gifting my daughter her own paint kit, and the clarity that came from finally taking inventory of my ideas. I also celebrate time spent with people I love, laughing, resting, reconnecting, along with stepping outside of my comfort zone in ways that felt deeply empowering. With the experience reminded me that confidence and creativity can exist just for me.

Alongside the cheers, I name the jeers honestly: not doing as much fiction writing as I hoped, navigating yet another winter storm, and facing creative redirection that shifted my plans for 2026. Instead of seeing these moments as failures, I’m learning to view them as information, as opportunities to pause, reassess, and adjust.

I close the episode by sharing my biggest lesson of 2026 so far: choosing myself to win. I reflect on how often we pour into others even when we’re empty, and my commitment to learning how to pour back into myself without waiting for someone else to do it for me.

This episode is both a reflection and an invitation to take stock of your own cheers and jeers, to acknowledge the wins alongside the frustrations, and to move forward with clarity, intention, and self-compassion.

This isn’t a finished draft... it’s the construction zone. In Between the Drafts: File One, I talk through a creative roadblock that reshaped how I see my first full-length screenplay.

By stepping back to study the craft, I found clarity in the “why” behind my story and learned that sometimes the work is laying the foundation, not rushing to the page. If you’re in the messy middle of a creative project, this one’s for you.

I am back with a different podcast.

This podcast will serve more as an audio diary as I share my thoughts on my writing process, work through my creative blocks and much more.

This introduction- well re-introduction is just teaser of what’s to come.

I promise to keep these episodes short and sweet (under 20 minutes) with more exclusive and in-depth content reserved for paid subscribers.

I am also taking questions too, so if you have a question about writing, creativity etc, please send your questions to [email protected] Subject: Question for Between the Drafts.

Thank you in advance to your support and love for my publications and to future episodes as a whole.

Here’s to prosperous season one between the drafts.

Sacred spaces are reflective spaces/realms on an offline dedicated to definitive purposes.

Sacred spaces are vital to our mental health.

Sacred spaces help us

* Unwind

* Recharge

* Reflect

* Create

* Tell and share our stories

Establishing Sacred Spaces:

* Identify the space(s) that make you feel seen, safe, happy, relaxed, appreciated, etc.

* Cleanse the space (s) physically and mentally through cleaning, archiving and removing things, items and even people who harm or dampen your space(s).

* Own your space(s) by setting boundaries, creating in your space and utilizing your space often, if not daily.

Journal Prompts:

* Where is your sacred space(s)? Make a list of your sacred spaces or reflect on a space you want to turn into a sacred space.

* Imagine…your ideal sacred space. What does it look like? Where is it located? Use your five senses to help you develop your space.