What keeps you going when the dream you’ve been working toward still hasn’t happened?

In this episode, Kate sits down with debut novelist Andrew Forrester, author of How the Story Goes, to talk about the ten-year journey that took him from his first finished manuscript to finally becoming a published author. Along the way, Andrew wrote multiple manuscripts, spent years trying to land an agent, had several books that never sold, raised four kids, and worked a full-time job—all while continuing to write.

Andrew shares why he never fully gave up, how writing became something he genuinely craved rather than something he had to suffer through, and why community, accountability, and giving himself permission to try something different ultimately mattered. He also gets practical about his creative process, including his thousand-word goal, writing late at night, and using the Pomodoro method to get himself started.

Kate and Andrew also explore creativity, faith, and the mystery of where ideas come from. Andrew opens up about growing up Southern Baptist, how his relationship with God has evolved, and how learning to live with questions instead of needing every answer has shaped both his life and his writing.

At its heart, this is a conversation about creative resilience, permission, and continuing to show up for the thing you can't stop thinking about—even when it takes much longer than you imagined.

“It's accountability. It's encouragement. It makes you feel like you're allowed to take yourself seriously when someone else is doing it.” - Andrew Forrester

🎤 Let’s Dive into the Good Stuff on Plenty 🎤
00:00 Ten Years to Get Published
02:16 Ten Manuscripts Later
04:23 Why He Never Gave Up
07:05 Knowing This Was the One
10:07 Becoming a Better Writer
12:38 The Power of Writing Community
26:26 Creativity After Group Therapy
29:18 Finding Time to Write
31:32 Where Ideas Come From
38:06 His Pomodoro Writing Method
40:54 Faith, Doubt & God
47:07 Giving Himself Permission
49:06 How the Story Goes

Links and Resources:
Kate's Instagram
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Opting Out of Urgency

Connect with Andrew Forrester:
Website
Instagram
Andrew Forrester’s book — How the Story Goes

✨ What If Everything Didn’t Feel So Urgent?

You know that feeling when everything feels important, everything needs to happen now, and slowing down somehow feels impossible?

That’s not just a mindset problem. Urgency has a biology.

In Opting Out of Urgency, a free workshop led by nervous system healing expert Sarah Tacey, you’ll learn why your system gets stuck in urgency — and simple, body-based ways to return to greater spaciousness, clarity, and choice.

You’ll discover how to recognize the difference between pressure that drains you and pressure you consciously choose, move beyond all-or-nothing thinking, and access options you simply can’t see when your nervous system is stuck in urgency.

Because slowing down doesn’t mean you stop getting things done. It means you’re no longer letting urgency run the show.

👉 Join Opting Out of Urgency for free at katenorthrup.com/urgency

Less urgency. More choice. More space to actually live. ✨