About Elise

 Hi! 👋My name is Elise. 

I'm a stay-at-home-mom, a wife, a person whose inner circle can be counted on one hand, with fingers left over.... 

And an indie author who started writing when I was twelve. 

That year, my English teacher decided it was a great idea to have our class collectively read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and I ended up being that kid who kept two bookmarks in their copy. One where the class was, and one several chapters ahead. 

The literary bug bit me and never let go. 

Since then, I've written poetry, fanfiction, original fiction, and accumulated more half-finished manuscripts than I care to count.

At nineteen, I finished my first full-length novel—two years after becoming a parent for the first time. 

It's pictured on the far right side of this image.

 

 

With that being said, if there is one thing that I've learned over the years, it's that most writing advice assumes one of two things: 

1) You’re just starting, 

2) Or you’re already finished.

Or, when they do, they cringe. Because it sucks. 
Where motivation dries up.
Where life intervenes.
Where unfinished manuscripts pile up on hard drives and start to feel like personal failures.
This blog exists for that place.

But there’s this massive, quiet middle that people don't want to talk about. 

The place where drafts stall.

 

 

 

I know what it feels like to finish the damn draft.

And I know what it feels like not to.

I’ve written through poverty, homelessness, grief, betrayal, burnout, imposter syndrome, and the kind of exhaustion that doesn’t get fixed by “just writing every day.” Yes, discipline and commitment are important, but they're not the only pieces of the puzzle. 

Turns out, it’s hard to write when life is actively punching you in the face.

Funny how most writing advice forgets that.

Still Drafting is not a productivity blog.
It’s not hustle culture in a cardigan.
It’s not here to shame you for unfinished work or pretend discipline fixes everything.

This is a space for writers who have started—and stalled.
For people in the Long Middle.
For those who are still dreaming of seeing The End on the final page, even if progress feels slow, messy, or non-linear.

Here, we talk about craft.
We talk about being stuck.
We talk about real life getting in the way.
And we build anyway.

I’m blunt. I don’t mince words.
I won’t sell you magic systems or toxic motivation.
What I will offer is honesty, clarity, and support.  

Like with any art, writing is a lonely process. That's one of the reasons this space exists. It shouldn't have to be. 

If you’re still drafting, you’re not behind.
You’re not broken.
You’re not a failure.

You’re exactly where the work actually happens.

 

If you have any questions or need to contact me, you can do so through my email at: 

helen@still-drafting.com 

 

Blessed Be, 

Elise