What a weekend fall, a cedar-ringed labyrinth, and a five-hour drive home on crutches taught one business book coach about the writing process
When the Weekend Doesn't Go as Planned
Some of the best writing advice doesn't come from a craft manual. Sometimes it comes from a twisted ankle, a pair of flip-flops, and three flights of stairs with no elevator.
In this solo episode of Easy Peasy Books, Gillian Whitney — business book coach and author of six books — shares the story of a weekend trip to central Texas that took a dramatic turn. What started as a relaxing getaway with her husband Devon ended with crutches, ice packs, and a five-hour drive home. But the lessons she brought back? Those were anything but painful.
If you're in the middle of writing your business book — or thinking about starting — this episode is a quiet but powerful reminder that how you move through the process matters just as much as the destination you're trying to reach.
The Contrast That Started It All: The Labyrinth vs. The Patio
Gillian's weekend offered a sharp before-and-after. On Friday, she and her sister visited a labyrinth set among cedar trees at a nearby retreat center. For those unfamiliar, a labyrinth isn't a maze — there's only one path in and one path out. You simply walk it with intention.
Gillian walked slowly, paying attention to every step. No rushing, no destination anxiety. It was, she says, exactly what she needed.
Twenty-four hours later, she was in her sister's backyard helping put up a shade screen. Devon, on a ladder, asked for a screwdriver. Gillian put down her phone and rushed to get it — wearing flip-flops on an uneven surface. She missed three steps, went down hard, and came away with a torn-up hand, a twisted ankle, and a twisted knee.
"I wasn't paying attention. And the next thing I know, my flip-flops caused me to flip-flop."
Same person. Same weekend. Two completely different ways of moving through the world — and two completely different outcomes.
The Same Journey Is Never the Same Journey
The drive home underscored a second lesson. The route to central Texas on Thursday had been joyful — music on, lunch stops, Gillian reading interesting things aloud from her phone. The same road on Sunday was a very different experience: surrounded by ice packs, ankle wrapped, crutches in the back seat, with one bathroom stop that took nearly as long as lunch had on the way up.
Same road. Same car. Same distance. But everything had changed because she had changed.
Gillian connects this directly to the experience of writing multiple books. She has six published and two more in progress — and not one of them has felt the same to write. It's not just the subject matter that differs. The author herself is different each time.
The Universe Gives Us Exactly What We Need
There's a third thread running through this episode: the idea of unexpected writing windows. Gillian had already made the decision to switch Easy Peasy Books to audio-only before the trip. When she came home on crutches and found herself unable to do much beyond sit on the couch, that decision turned out to be exactly right. No camera. No hair to worry about. Just a microphone and a story.
It reminded her of an earlier experience: writing one of her books while recovering from pneumonia. Flat in bed, she pulled out her phone, opened Otter AI, and dictated the entire book chapter by chapter. The content flowed freely. She later reorganized and refined it — but the raw material poured out during that enforced stillness. What could have been a lost month became one of her most productive writing windows.
"I could have wasted that month recovering from pneumonia by Netflix binging. But how would that have served me?"
Asking for Help and Changing Your Perspective
The fourth lesson came from the crutches themselves. Gillian describes herself as deeply autonomous — not someone who naturally asks for help. Navigating a three-story walk-up apartment on crutches (she had to watch YouTube videos in the parking lot to figure out how to manage the stairs) forced her to slow down and become deliberate about every single request.
That intentionality extended to something as small as which side of the bed she slept on. After nearly 30 years of marriage, she and Devon have their sides. But with the bathroom now a crutch-length challenge, she had to ask Devon to switch. He did, immediately. And sleeping on his side of the bed for the first time — the room looked completely different.
"Everything looked different. The room looked different. Everything gave me a whole perspective change."
For authors, this is directly applicable: sometimes you need to look at your manuscript from an unfamiliar angle. That's why Gillian recommends putting a draft away for a week or two before editing — distance creates perspective. It's also why she sometimes advises editing backwards, starting from the conclusion and working toward the front. Doing so forces you off autopilot and lets you see what your familiar, forward-reading brain had been filling in without you realizing it.
Gillian's Framework: The Labyrinth Approach to Writing Your Book
Distilled from this episode, here is Gillian's four-step framework for writing with intention rather than urgency.
Step 1: Walk Slowly and Place Your Feet Deliberately
Rushing through your book — especially under self-imposed pressure — is the writing equivalent of flip-flops on an uneven surface. When you feel the urge to move faster, ask: is this deadline real, or is it just my own brain creating urgency? Give yourself permission to move at the pace the book actually needs.
Step 2: Release Your Expectations from the Last Book
Each book you write is a new journey, not a repeat of the last one. Don't walk in with 'shoulds' — this one should be faster, this should be easier, I shouldn't struggle as much. You are a different writer now. Some books will come easily; others will resist. That's normal, and it doesn't mean anything is wrong.
Step 3: Recognize and Use Your Writing Windows
Unexpected circumstances sometimes create unexpected writing opportunities. Whether that's a recovery period, a quiet weekend, a long flight, or a forced pause — look for the window the universe is offering. Don't wait for ideal conditions. Sometimes the couch with ice packs is where the work gets done.
Step 4: Change Your Vantage Point When You're Stuck
If you're too close to your manuscript to see it clearly, step away. Put it in a drawer for a week or two. Try editing from the end backward. Ask someone else to read it fresh. Like sleeping on Devon's side of the bed, seeing your work from a different angle can reveal what you've been too familiar to notice.
Real Moments from This Episode
The YouTube Tutorial in the Parking Lot
One of the most vivid images from this episode: Gillian sitting in the car after a five-hour drive, watching YouTube videos to learn how to climb stairs on crutches before she could get into her own home. Three flights up, no elevator, Devon helping her navigate it step by step.
It's a small story with a large lesson. There is no shame in not knowing how to do something. There is no shame in asking — or in looking it up. The willingness to say 'I don't know how to do this yet' is one of the most underrated qualities in a first-time author.
The Pneumonia Book
Gillian wrote one of her six books while recovering from pneumonia, dictating it chapter by chapter into Otter AI while lying in bed. She didn't plan to write it that way. But the content was fresh, her mind was clear, and the enforced rest gave her uninterrupted time she wouldn't otherwise have had.
Once she recovered, she sorted, reorganized, and polished — but the raw material was already there. This is a practical example of not waiting for the perfect writing environment. Use what you have.
The Audio-Only Decision
Gillian had been quietly wrestling for weeks with whether to drop video from the podcast. The decision itself was sound — video added complexity to her process without meaningful return. But the timing of actually acting on it, only to come home injured and find that she no longer had to worry about camera, lighting, or appearance, reinforced something she talks about with authors often: when you make a decision that aligns with how you actually want to work, the universe tends to confirm it in one way or another.
In Gillian's Own Words
"The inattention is what cost me — not paying attention to what I was doing. That's what hurt me. And I think about this with authors all the time."
"Every single book I've written has been a different experience. It's not just the subject matter that changes. I change. I am not the same person who wrote the first book, the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth."
"I hope you will take the labyrinth approach. Slow down, be intentional, put one foot in front of the other — and remember, the shade screen and the screwdriver can wait."
Listen to the Full Episode
Ready for the Next Step With Your Business Book?
Whether you're writing your book, getting ready to publish, or looking for ways to market and promote it, Easy Peasy Books can help. Visit easypeasybooks.com to explore our book writing, publishing, and marketing services — or subscribe to the Easy Peasy Books podcast for a new episode every week.
Follow the podcast | Book a discovery call | Browse the blog
About Gillian Whitney
Gillian Whitney is a business book coach and the host of Easy Peasy Books: From Author to Authority. She helps professionals write and publish books that build credibility, attract the right clients, and establish lasting expertise. Learn more at easypeasybooks.com