Dear Wizard,

I recently finished a project and now I’ve lost my enthusiasm for my writing. I don’t know why. I loved the previous project and I have ideas that are abounding for other projects. However, when I try to focus on what to write next, I have no clue! I don’t know what to write. I feel stuck and discouraged.

How do I pick my next project? What happened that now I’m missing the allure of my writing? Why does every idea seem dull and mundane now?

What can I do to spark joy in my writing again? Help me! Please.

Your Truly,
Dreary Danni (fae/faer)

Dear Danni,

Every time I write the last page in a grimoire of mine, I feel a pang of sadness. I will use the grimoire of mine again to reference the spells inside. However, that journey, of studying the Universe and writing those spells is finished. Forever. And it is sad. It is ok to take a moment to breath. Give yourself a time to mourn that end of that period in your life.

Although the study of the Universe is a lifelong adventure, there are segments to it. And it is ok for us to take a moment to grieve the loss of that moment. As well as to celebrate the success of that particular passage. I think all too often, we are focused on what we feel ought to be celebratory feelings, when those feelings of loss creep up on us.

It is ok to celebrate the success of finishing the grimoire as well as to feel the nostalgia for the moment. Your new grimoire will feel different. It will have a different weight. The pen will dance across the page differently. The ink will soak into the paper different. These may seem like minute changes, but they all add up.
So, give yourself a moment of rest.

Then I advise you to start binding your new grimoire. I prefer finding the right piece of leather or cloth first myself. This helps me to set the tone of the new segment of exploration. A piece of green silk would set a different tone than a piece of black leather.

Thus, once I have work out the tone of my new grimoire, I set about finding the paper. I like a hefty paper. I want to feel the weight of it. However, some do not care for that heft and prefer a lighter more versatile page. This combined with how many pages your put in the grimoire sets the length and breadth of your new ramble through the Universe.

Finally, if I have run out of ink, or sometimes even if I have not, I will choose a new ink to go with my grimoire. I know many wizards rely on purely black ink throughout their grimoires, but to be honest, I find that boring. I will often find a color of ink that I enjoy and pair it with a particular book. This gives it a slight embellishment and a new flavor.

I hope this helps! Give yourself some time. It will come to you and when you are in the flow of your new grimoire you will be happy you did not rush yourself to move on more quickly than you did.

Sincerely,
A Wizard