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If you’ve ever tried to keep your creative life steady while everything around you moves, this story will feel familiar. We split our time between Texas and Alaska, and the distance between those worlds has taught us how to hold a routine, tune our tools, and still leave room for wonder. The secret isn’t a bigger checklist; it’s choosing what must stay the same and what can change without breaking the flow.

We walk through the practical side first: a Mac laptop for drafting, Scrivener to wrangle chapters and notes, and a Kindle Scribe that travels well for outlining and quick markups. Then we shift to the slower, analog layer that keeps us grounded when airline miles pile up. Handwritten letters with wax seals evoke the pleasure of a deliberate pace. A Clever Fox one-line-a-day journal turns vague days into proof of progress, a tiny daily square that cuts through the “I did nothing” fog. Those short entries add up, especially when a big writing push is on pause.

There’s also room for beauty. We discuss choosing a gold Scriveina fountain pen with a fine nib that writes closer to extra-fine, why that precision is helpful, and how a sturdy pen case protects it on short trips without the bulk of a whole box. Not everything needs to travel; some tools are duplicated across homes because habit lives in the exact layout, while others vary just enough to spark fresh attention. With another ten-day trip on the calendar, we set a clear start line for the next book in mid-November, confident that routine, not willpower, will carry us back in.

If you’re balancing two places, two schedules, or just too many demands, this conversation offers a practical way to stay creative: keep the hours consistent, let your tools reduce friction, and honor small daily wins. If this resonates, follow the links in the description, subscribe for more conversations about process and tools, and tell us: which habit keeps your creativity steady?

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