The First Ember

Joy returns quietly, long before we recognize it.

Joy rarely comes back with fireworks. More often, it arrives in ways so small you could miss them. A color that feels comforting. A sentence that sounds right. A moment of peace you did not expect. These are the early signs that your creative life is still alive, even if it has been quiet for a while.

I call these moments embers, because they behave the way embers do. They glow faintly under the surface, waiting for you to notice. They do not demand attention. They simply offer it. And when life has been overwhelming or heavy, it can take a moment to even realize they are there.

Beauty is often the first place we see the ember. A shift in the light. The sound of a familiar laugh. A line of dialogue that suddenly feels warm in your chest.

Beauty is patient. It waits for you to look up long enough to let it in.

Noticing these small sparks does not require effort. It asks only for presence. You do not have to turn the ember into inspiration or productivity. You do not have to chase it. You simply need to acknowledge it. That tiny act of noticing is enough to begin waking up your creative self.

The ember glows and grows when you gently breathe on it. When you slow down for a moment. When you let a detail, a memory, or a fragment of beauty sit with you instead of brushing past it. These moments are quiet, but powerful. They remind you that you have not lost your spark. It has been resting, waiting for a window of calm.

Creativity often restarts this way, not through a burst of energy, but through a soft returning. When you learn to recognize these first small glimmers, you begin rebuilding trust with yourself. You start to feel the warmth again.

You remember that joy is still within reach.

Reflection Prompts

• Where do you see beauty showing up in your life right now?

• What recent moment felt warmer or clearer than the rest of your day?

• What small spark of joy have you noticed, even if you brushed past it at first?

• What helps your attention settle long enough for an ember to appear?

Write these answers as if you were reassuring the part of yourself that worries joy will not return. Show that self the small signs you can already see, even if they feel faint.

The Work of Joy is my current non-fiction project. Stay tuned for more information!

In the meantime, I’ve completely updated my most joyful class, It’s a Wonderful Writer’s Life. I love teaching this class in December. It’s a gentle, joyful reset for your creativity as one year ends and another begins. There’s still time to join this December class.

It’s a wonderful gift for yourself or for any writer who wants to shake off the drain of 2025 and step into 2026 refreshed.

This class is holiday frenzy friendly as each day’s lesson is short, the homework is optional, and because the class is “evergreen” you can finish whenever you have time. I’m not always active in these classes on a daily basis, but for December, I’ll be hanging out in the forums and answering emails. I’m looking forward to preparing for a very happy and creative new year!