Guest post written by Goldenborn author Ama Ofosua Lieb
Ama Ofosua Lieb is a 2026 Publishers Weekly Writer to Watch. She was born in Ghana and has lived in Canada, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Nigeria, and South Africa. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their two young children. A graduate of Stanford University, she holds an MA in sociology and a BA in economics. When she’s not writing, Ama enjoys baking, reading, drinking tea, and engaging in lively monster-escape strategy sessions with her kids. Goldenborn is her debut novel and a Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick!
About Goldenborn: A girl with a mission. A god with a deal. A story that could change everything. When 17-year-old Akoma Addo stumbles into a world of ancient gods and modern magic, she’ll have to choose between saving her father… or staying true to everything she’s ever believed. Released June 2nd 2026.
If I’m the protagonist, then writer’s block is certainly the antagonist in my publishing story. Every time I thought I’d reached smooth sailing—the words were flowing, the scenes were building—my nemesis would gleefully appear and knock me off course. Unable to return to the blank page waiting for me, I discovered three different creative pursuits that helped to reignite my imagination and get the words flowing again.
1 – Pottery Class
There was something about staring at a shapeless lump of clay that reminded me of the first draft of a manuscript. Both held raw potential, waiting to be shaped into something beautiful. My first attempt at the potter’s wheel was nothing short of disastrous. The clay spun off the wheelhead and landed on the floor with an audible splat. I laughed as I retrieved my clay and started over. After several attempts, my hands finally fell into the right rhythm. Eventually I managed to shape the clay into something that could pass for a small bowl. I felt triumphant. I’d created a functional receptacle for storing my jewelry, and I carried that sense of accomplishment back to my desk. As I returned to my manuscript, I pictured the story turning and turning in my mind the way the clay had turned beneath my hands. I allowed the scene I was shaping to fly off the wheelhead, so to speak, knowing that with enough patience and persistence, it would eventually become something worth reading.
2 – Archery
I knew early on that I wanted to include archery in my novel. I envisioned it as my main character’s favorite pastime. But when I sat down to write those scenes, I struggled to make them feel authentic and alive. Eventually, I hit a wall. Then it occurred to me that perhaps my lack of experience with the sport was part of the problem. So I took my family out for an afternoon of archery lessons. It was winter, and the weather was chilly by Northern California standards, but the scenery was beautiful. The stage was set for a great day.
Turns out, I was terrible at archery. But I had a fantastic time. Going through the motions and listening as the instructor corrected my form set my imagination on fire. Suddenly, details I had been missing began to click into place. Toward the end of the lesson, I managed to hit a bullseye. You’ve never seen a more triumphant person! I returned to my desk armed with a fresh creative spark, and the scene that had previously felt impossible to write, flowed with ease.
3 – Glassblowing
I’m not sure why I ever thought glassblowing would be easy. It wasn’t. In fact, of the three writer’s-block-busting activities I tried, it was by far the most challenging—and my favorite.
The hot shop, where the roaring furnace of molten glass is housed, was exactly what the name suggests: hot. Every step of the process was fascinating and demanded complete focus unless you wanted to risk injury. I started by dipping one end of a blowpipe into the furnace to gather molten glass. There was something magical about seeing a glowing blob of liquid fire hanging from the end of the pipe. Once I learned how to shape it into a perfectly round bulb, the blowing began.
My cheeks have never hurt so much. The simple act of blowing a small bubble of air into the glass took far more effort than I’d imagined. The piece had to be returned repeatedly to a second furnace to remain malleable as I continued shaping it. The entire process reminded me of writing. Just as the glass needed constant reheating to stay workable, I needed to keep returning to my manuscript with renewed enthusiasm to maintain momentum.
My finished piece was a small terrarium that I’m incredibly proud of. But even after all the shaping and blowing were complete, there was one final step. The terrarium had to spend a full day in an annealing oven, where it cooled slowly to prevent cracking from sudden temperature changes. That final stage spoke to me. It reminded me that sometimes the best thing I can do for my writing is step away for a while and let my imagination rest. In that quiet cooling period, new ideas often emerge, ready to rekindle the creative process when I return.
Final Thoughts
In the end, exploring other creative activities didn’t take me away from writing, it helped bring me back to it.
