Day 19, here we are!
And the fact that you are still here is genuinely worth celebrating.
Yesterday was a lot. The video was longer, and the task was more cognitively demanding. It asked you to zoom out, assess what wasn’t working, and hold complexity without immediately fixing it. That’s hard work.
So consider today and tomorrow a bit of a gift.
As I said yesterday, you are moving through Level 1 of my Story Architect framework at an unusually fast pace. This stage—the Story Foundation—is normally spread out over months. You’re doing it in 30 days, which is intense. So if you’re a couple of days behind, catching up in batches, or watching things slightly out of sequence: you’re fine!
If you’re behind and want feedback, email me with the days you missed rather than commenting on older posts; Substack doesn’t always surface those notifications for me, and email is easier to track.
Before we move on, a quick thank you to Clare, who opened the chat thread yesterday when I forgot (again). Much appreciated.
The reason I was distracted is a good one: two of my writers hit major milestones this week. One has finished her second full draft, which, as I always say, is where the book really starts to become a book. The first draft is clay. The second draft is shaping. Another writer is submitting to her publisher today after completing the full revision cycle. It’s a good reminder of where this process leads if you stick with it.
Alright. Let’s get into today.
What today is for
Today is deliberately shorter and lighter than yesterday.
Yesterday was about identifying what felt out of alignment. Today is about choosing just two things and beginning to adjust them.
Not everything…just the two.
Today’s task
Go back to your blueprint grid.
Look at the things you flagged yesterday:
things you noticed yourself, or
things I confirmed for you in the comments as no longer quite working
From all of that, choose two boxes only.
Now do the following:
Highlight those two boxes (change the text colour, add a marker, make it visually obvious).
Ask yourself: what about this no longer aligns with the story as it exists now?
If your instinct immediately knows what needs to change, go ahead and rewrite the box.
If it doesn’t, don’t force it. Just leave the highlight there.
The highlight matters. It tells your brain, this is unresolved, and that’s enough for now.
You are not doing a full rewrite today or solving the entire problem. All you need to do is name it and plant it as a seed in your brain.
This works because you are training your author brain—the part of you that holds questions open and lets solutions form over time, rather than demanding instant answers.
Why this matters
For most of you, this is your first time building a story deliberately, using a clear structural framework. That means realignment is an important part of the work.
By limiting this to two boxes, you:
avoid overwhelm
avoid tearing down the whole structure
give your subconscious something concrete to work on overnight
Tomorrow is the breather day…so plant that seed!
In the comments
I forgot to say this in the video! So I hope that you’ve read this far.
Maybe this is a test…??
In the comments below, tell me which two boxes you’ve highlighted. And…if you’re brave…tell me if your instinct kicked in and nudged a specific change.
Reflection question
After working on those two boxes:
What feels clearer today than it did yesterday?
And if you didn’t answer yesterday’s reflection question, I still recommend thinking about it privately; it’s a good one for developing long-term writing instinct.
Tomorrow I’ll be back with a short video before the breather day…with a bit of philosophical author advice, and guidance on how to actually use that pause well.
You’ve earned this slower stretch! Remember that 19 intense days is no small thing!
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Xx Shelly
