How to Keep Your Post-Event Writing Spark Alive
Practical steps to carry inspiration from workshops and retreats into your daily writing life.
This month, my calendar was packed with three writing events (plus a vacation stuck in the middle), making it a whirlwind of inspiration and creativity. While I presented at two of the events and attended the third, I left all three with long lists of reading recommendations, great conversations with friends, new connections, and dozens of notes and drafts for the writing project Iâm working on.
If youâve ever been to a retreat, workshop, or conference, you probably know that glow you leave withâas if everything has a little extra sparkle to it. You have big plans, big dreams, and everything seems a little more possible. After moving from one event to the next, I was riding such a writing high that I felt like I was flying.
And then reality hit. The kids went back to school. I had my first faculty meeting. My first class. Suddenly, I was staring at all those books and frantically scrolling through your notebooks from the past month, hoping to recapture the spark of inspiration.
Of course, this is normal. The laundry piles up, the inbox fills, youâre expected to actually work at your jobâand before you know it, that glow has disappeared, leaving you feeling like an angry gremlin who hasnât showered in three days (true story).
I used to think this was a personal failing, like I just wasnât disciplined enough to keep the momentum going. But over time I realized the truth: the magic of those events isnât only in the craft talks or the beautiful settingsâitâs in the community and accountability they create. When weâre surrounded by others who believe what we believe, itâs easier to show up. When someone else is willing to show up for us, itâs hard not to show up for ourselves.
Thatâs why these events feel so powerful: they remind us that weâre not doing this alone. But once the event ends, the challenge becomes carrying that energy into our everyday livesâinto the mundane routines, into the long stretches when no one else is watching.
So how do we keep the glow alive? How do we bottle that spark so it doesnât fade away with the last goodbye?
Here are a few practices Iâve found helpful for keeping the momentum going after an event:
Start with yourself
Anchor one idea: Instead of trying to implement everything youâve learned at once, choose one takeaway from the event and make it part of your routine this week. One tip I walked away with from my Vermont trip: start each writing session by going back to what you wrote last and asking yourself, Is what I wrote true? This helps reconnect with the work and move easily into whatever comes next.
Morning pages or daily âtouchingâ: Keep the creative energy flowing by writing unfiltered pages each morningâor whatever version of âdaily pagesâ works for you. Julia Cameron, author of The Artistâs Way, recommends handwriting three pages as soon as you wake (btw, there is a great podcast with her on The Londonâs Writerâs Salonâ#143). While I love this idea, what matters most is simply âtouchingâ your work every day, whether through writing, planning, or reflecting.
Create a mini-retreat at home: Block two hours on your calendar, turn off your phone, and write as if youâre still at the event. I start with meditation to center myself, read poetry or flash prose to get in the mood, and then write. Sometimes, if the work is intense, I finish with fifteen minutes of gentle yoga or lay down and listen to music. Even with pets and teenagers in the house, a mini-retreat makes a huge difference.
Stay connected
Find a writing buddy: Reach out to someone from the event (or another writer you know) and commit to a weekly or biweekly check-inâwhether itâs an email, a quick video call, or a text that says, âHowâd your writing go this week?â Just knowing someone is out there can help.
Form a tiny pod: Gather 3â4 people into a small circle that meets regularly online or in person (hello, other workshop attendees!). Small groups often create the deepest accountability. Iâve been in the same writing group for around ten years, and I cherish our time and connectionsâthey are my life-lines. Sometimes we exchange work, and sometimes we just talk about writing life.
Join a structured group: If getting yourself to the desk is difficult, a structured accountability group might be exactly what you need. I started one a couple of years ago for a class of mine and ended up continuing because it worked so well for me. Itâs a small group, but every time I log on, Iâm reminded of the power of writing together.
Even small stepsâone morning page, a brief reflection, a weekly check-in with a buddyâcan make a big difference. The spark you felt at those events doesnât have to fade; with intentional practice and connection, it can live in your writing every day.
If youâve ever wished you could keep that energy alive long after an event, Iâd love to invite you to join my accountability group. Itâs a space for writers to check in, share work, encourage each other, and carry forward the excitement of community into daily practice.
The question I leave you with is this: Whatâs one step you can take this week to keep the writing energy alive? Take it, however small, and let it carry you forward.