Right here's the best way to begin writing once more for those who haven't executed it in a very long time
If you've taken time off from writing, be it a week or a year, we've got some tips to help you get started writing again!
There are so many reasons NOT to write.
Life happens. There are new jobs, new babies, new houses. There is an increased workload at work, a big house project, a mental block.
There are a lot of things you can do to get out of your writing groove. It happens to the best of us.
Here are 4 things to do when you start writing again.
If this has happened to you, no matter how long you haven't written, here are some tips to help you start writing again:
1. Don't get ready.
In all honesty, this is probably the most important tip I can give you. I coach a lot of people at The Write Practice and I can tell you that this is the biggest problem most people face when trying to get their writing groove back.
Why? They feel bad about not writing. And then they don't feel like writing because they feel bad. And then they feel worse when they haven't written.
It's a never-ending cycle of guilt. Stop it. You haven't written in a while. So what? That’s in the past. There is nothing you can do about it now. I don't care if you had a "good" or a "bad" reason not to write. Don't make an excuse, make a plan.
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It doesn't matter why you haven't written in a while. Don't make excuses; Make a plan. What are you going to write now
2. Find out what happened.
You may be able to determine exactly why you stopped writing. The main reasons I hear about moving to a new house, increasing the working hours, and having a new baby.
Is okay. But doesn't it go deeper?
Life won't stop happening, and if you are really serious about writing, you can't let every change be a reason for you to stop until you feel like picking up the pen again.
Here's a secret: there will never be a perfect time to write. (Kind of like the old adage that there is never a perfect time to have a baby, right?)
A big life change could have been the first reason you took that first day off. But really, you are dealing with a time management problem.
You may not have felt "inspired" in a long time. That's not a problem with inspiration. That's a problem with discipline. (Seriously, if you're waiting to feel "inspired", you'll never write.)
Or maybe you had a rejection or a terrible review that kept you from the whole process. I feel there for you I really do. But this is a determined problem, not the fault of the person who left these bad words on your story.
And here is my favorite: fear. This is the one I struggle with the most. I have a book in less than a month. I got the release offer for it last year and kept postponing the final changes because the idea of people reading the book was terrifying. What would you think of my little story? Ah, the horror!
In the end, I took our 100 Day Book Program to complete the changes. And now the book is ready! And do you know what was great? I revealed a cover this week and the support and excitement I got from my readers, friends and family has been amazing. Don't worry when I have these people behind me!
Find out why you haven't written and fix it.
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There will never be a perfect time to write. (And if you wait for inspiration, you'll never pick up a pen.) Write now.
3. Realize that your writing is likely to suck.
Any writer out there will tell you that writing is like building muscle. If you get lazy for a period of time you are not that good at trying to use it.
You will be rusty. You will hate everything you wrote on paper. It won't match what's on your head. There could be tears.
The first few things you write won't win any prizes. Get that out of your head. That is not the purpose of these first new writings. Their purpose is to get you moving again. If at this point you just can't pull a story together and hate it, throw it up. That's perfectly fine.
This phase is like lifting weights. If you used to be able to put 200 pounds on the bench but haven't touched a barbell in six months, you need to drop that weight and work your way back up. It is what it is. Revisit my first tip if you get upset about it.
If you can't imagine what to write (and you probably won't because your brain forgot how to spot a story idea), you can find some prompts online. You can find them almost everywhere, including here at The Write Practice. If you don't feel like googling, you can sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram or Facebook. We give you more than you can handle.
4. Write something.
With support you will feel a lot better when you start over. Join a writing group on social media or try out our community. Take a writing class. Join some writer mailing lists (a great way to help writers, by the way), get books to write with, follow websites that have encouragements to write, or attend a handful of free webinars.
All of these will help. You have to see other writers. You have to talk to people who get it about writing. You need to dive back in to start writing again. Don't put your toe back. Dive.
Keep writing!
There is nothing more difficult than doing something again. This is why dieting and exercise are so difficult for so many people. Writing is the same.
At some point it happens to every writer that he falls off the carriage. You just need to know how to get going again and have the determination to do so. You're serious about this writing, aren't you?
Do it then.
Did you "fall off the trolley"? How did you start writing again? Let me know in the comments.
WORK OUT
Today's practice is an oldie, but a goodie. I want you to close your eyes and imagine where your writing career will be in late 2021. Have you written a book? Have you published a book Are you wicked famous and your bestselling series is getting the film treatment?
When you open your eyes, write for fifteen minutes about how Future You handles writing and how it feels.
Write your letter in the comments for feedback! And don't forget to leave feedback on your colleagues' work!
Sarah Gribble
Follow her @sarah Typos or subscribe to her free email list at https://sarah-gribble.com.