💌 Letters from the Rebuild #14

The Day I Almost Gave Up (And the Tool That Saved Me)

Dear Den Mates,

I’m doing something I don’t normally do. I’m making one of my typically den-mates-only (subscriber) posts fully open this week.

Why? I dunno!🤷‍♀️LOL

Nah, it’s because I felt called to do it, because I think the message matters, and maybe, just maybe, it might find the right person(s) who needs to hear it. (please don’t judge my personal brand of neurotic craziness too much! LOL)

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I almost gave up on something I love last week.

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And I don’t mean “meh, maybe later” kind of giving up.

I mean… walk away, burn it down, and salt the earth kind of giving up.

I spent 13+ hours wrangling a dev system I’ve poured soul, sweat, and more than a few sleepless nights into.

And you may wonder what this has to do with writing and building an author career? In this case, two things:

1. This project I’m building is for authors.

2. The concepts, mindsets, struggles, and outcomes are the same—whether you’re talking about building a tech project or a writing project & career.

My vision was clear — the structure was scaffolding into place — but the tools?

They fought me every step of the way.

It felt like being trapped in a glass cage of my own making.
No flow.
No rhythm.
Just glitch after glitch, browser tab after browser tab, a dozen dead ends and one oh-too-familiar whisper:

“Maybe this isn’t going to work after all.”

I ended the day in frustrated tears.

Literally. And if you know me, you know that’s saying something.

And then…

After that 13+ hours-long (very long) day of beating my head against a tech wall at every turn…

The following day…

Everything changed.

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🛠️ A New Ally Appears

Buried in the very software I’ve already been using to build my system — VS Code — was a tool I’d somehow overlooked.

One that doesn’t require GitHub gymnastics.
One that sees all the files in my workspace.
One that understands what I’m building because it can finally see the whole picture.

It’s called CoPilot Pro.

Now, it’s not so dissimilar to ChatGPT Plus, or Gemini Pro, or any of the other multitudes of AI tools… but this instance of it—game changing!

Because it lives, LIVE, right inside the tool that I use on my computer to code— (by hand, because I’m old-school like that—or maybe just getting old? )🤔🤣

And, unlike other tools, it can see—live and in real time—all of the structure/files/code/etc., that I have inside of my project workspace.
(not the rest of my computer—just my designated and controlled project workspace)

Which, given that it can help debug my code infinitely faster than I can do it even in my prime and on a good day makes it a huge ally! LOL

And within two hours of integrating it into my dev flow?

I got more done than I had in thirteen hours the day before. And part of that two hours was getting everything prepped/setup and then training it a wee bit.

No exaggeration. No drama. No battered forehead against the tech-brick-walls.

Just… progress. Peaceful, quiet, real progress.

You might think: “Congrats, Stac, that’s awesome, but what does this have to do with anything?”

(I’m so glad you asked) 😉🤣

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💸 The Sacred Cost of Tools That Work

That brings my (paid) AI tool count to three.

Which old me? I definitely would have balked at that and found every reason to not do that—because old me ONLY operated from a place of scarcity and lack as a survival-mode defense mechanism.

New, learning-and-growing me?

She knows that to uplevel to the places I’m aiming for—I have to make some investments—but only in the right things.

(but bonus…. this one had a 30-day free trial thankfully LOL) 💃🥰💃

Three paid subscriptions. (in addition to all my other ‘normal’ biz expenses). Three helpers. Three ways of saying:

“I’m no longer willing to build my future from a place of scarcity and outdated mindsets.”

Because the truth is: I’m not “overspending.”

I’m strategically resourcing.

Most authors I know (hell, most small business owners in general that I know!) have said at one point or another:

“If I could just hire a VA / small team / staff!”

or

“If I could just clone myself a few times over…”

That’s what I’m doing—except a small part of my team lives inside my computer.

These tools aren’t replacing my effort — they’re amplifying my intention.

And for the AI naysayers out there—I hear you. I don’t use AI tools for writing (no more than anyone else who uses modern tech editors such as ProWritingAid or Grammarly, etc.) I use them for my business and admin tasks.

They allow me to work almost as fast as my brain thinks this stuff up…almost…
my brain generally alternates between brain-fog-stuck-sloth and squirrel-after-a-RedBull-6-pack.

So these tools? They’re companions, not crutches.

And last week, one of them helped me climb out of a breakdown spiral that almost swallowed one of the best parts of my AuthorVerse dream.

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🌱 This Is the Rebuild

And it’s not always pretty.

Most of it is downright messy-ugly.

In fact, it feels a lot like this 👇 a good portion of the time (with much less photo-op smiling!):

And, some days, you’ll be halfway out the door of your own sacred dream.
Some days, the tech will betray you, the brain will fog, the tears will win.
And you’ll wonder if maybe you’re just not “meant” to do this.
And you’ll be ready to go ‘scorched earth’ on the whole idea.

But then?

If you pause long enough to listen — if you stay just one breath longer —
The next breadcrumb appears.

And sometimes that breadcrumb is wearing a name tag that says:
“Hey. I’m the tool you didn’t know you needed. And I’ve been right here, waiting.”

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🧱 Your Rebuild Prompt This Week:

• What tool, system, or support has been quietly waiting for you to notice it?

• Where are you still trying to build something sacred with scraps and duct tape?

• What would it look like to resource yourself like someone whose dream matters? (because it DOES!)

‼️🫸🛑🫷‼️Pause for a minute because I want to interject a not-so-short, but critically important message here to any creative soul who may be reading this:

[cue the 80’s montage music] 💃💃🤣

When I say “your dream matters” — I’m not just being cliche, blowing sunshine up your keesters… I deeply, truly mean that, and here’s why:

I had someone say to me recently (about their writing):
“Come on, it’s not like I’m saving the world here or anything.”

(paraphrased because theirs was slightly more colorful) 🤬🤣

Insinuating that: yes, they were struggling, and having that “giving up” mode of defeated-thinking — we’ve all been there, maybe a few times.

And here’s what I said to her:

When I was little—like really little: just getting ready to start kindergarten age—I was in a bad situation.

Like… really bad.

The kind of bad that a lot of kids don’t make it out of.
The kind of bad that the ones who do make it out of physically, don’t ever actually make it out of mentally, or ever recover from—it scars their whole life.

But my savior? My shield? My one singular source of protection and comfort back then?

Reading. Books.

(yes, even then, I read way above my age level—which is not always as good a thing as it sounds like, btw)

But see… staying in my room, remaining almost entirely silent, with my door shut— I was safe.

I was flying under the radar.
I was: out of site, out of mind, which meant sometimes, just sometimes, I was forgotten enough to be out of arm’s reach.

So, I was as safe as it was possible to be in that situation, at least.

It was at that early of an age that I knew I wanted to be a writer. Even if I was way too young to understand the “why” of it.

The why?

If I could help just one other kid (person) be a little less afraid, or a little more safe, or feel a little bit of escapism comfort— then I was making the world a better place.

So… are you saving the world? Nah, not really.

But I can tell you right now, there are authors who saved my life… more than a few times.

And is that really all that different?

You don’t have to do this alone.

You just have to stop hiding from the help that’s already in your forest.

If this found you at the right time — let me know. And if you’re rebuilding something of your own, drop your tools below… who knows who you might be helping.

With ink-stained paws and new lines of (now) working code,
~ Stacy
The Mojo Mama Bear 🐻💛

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🫶 Adventures Are Better with Friends

If you have an author friend—(or non-author friend!)—who’s also rebuilding, rewilding, or just needs a sacred space to feel less alone...

🎁 You can gift them (or yourself!) a 30-day trial subscription to The Rewilding Dispatch.

No pressure, no fluff—just truth, tools, and creative soul-fire.

Invite your “accountabili-buddy” to join you here:

👉 https://authorsmojo.substack.com/RewildingFriends

Let’s walk this path together. 🕯️🐾

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🕯️ This post is part of Letters from the Rebuild—my open love letter series to those of us rebuilding something sacred from the ashes. Career. Identity. Voice. Hope. These letters are the embers I send out into the dark, just in case you need to hear: You’re not alone. 🐦‍🔥

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