One Aliventures reader emailed me recently to ask for my thoughts on getting back into an already-started writing project after taking a break from
it.
This is such a great question, because I'm sure it's a situation that comes up for virtually all writers at some stage. After all, you're unlikely to write completely consistently for weeks or months on a single big project like a novel, a blog, or a collection of stories or poems.
All of us need breaks from writing ... and sometimes life imposes those breaks, whether we want to take them or not.
Getting back into
your writing after a few days away from it, or after a holiday, might not be too challenging. But what if you've ended up taking weeks, months, or even years away from a project that's only part-done?
First, Give Yourself Some Compassion and Grace
Maybe your writing break wasn't really planned. Life got busy, you put your writing down, and somehow you didn't pick it up again. Or maybe you gave up writing for a while because you were struggling or discouraged.
It's okay. Life isn't perfect. Sometimes, things don't work out. Sometimes, you don't have the energy you need to carry on going with writing.
Whatever the reason for your break ... please don't beat yourself up about it. Instead, think
about moving forward. Would you like to get back to writing? Or do you want to take some more time to recharge first?
If you take nothing else away from this week's newsletter, remember this: it's okay not to write. You don't have to feel guilty about it.
Next, Decide if You Want to Carry On With Your Project
If you've taken a longish break from writing (months or years) then you'll have changed
in the time you were away from your project.
Perhaps your interests have moved on. What grabbed you in the past is no longer calling to you in the same way.
Or perhaps the writing world has moved on. Maybe you were writing something that you hoped would catch a trend ... but that trend seems to be waning.
You don't have to pick up where you left off.
Perhaps you enjoyed working on that project, but the best way to complete it now is to let it go.
But if you do want to carry on -- if you kept thinking about that project, or
you missed it, or you're excited but a bit scared to get back into it -- then that's fine too!
How to Get Back Into Your Writing Project
I'll be honest here: I don't think it's ever going to be easy to get back into a writing project after you've taken time away. So please be patient and kind to yourself if it ends up taking some time, plus some false starts, to get moving again.
Here are some things
that I personally find helpful that you might want to try too:
1. Read over what you've written so far. Re-familiarise yourself with your work. There might be things in there you'd forgotten about or misremembered. There may well be parts that surprise and delight you, because you'd forgotten
writing them and you love them. (There may also be parts that are clumsily written ... that's fine too and very normal!)
2. Spend a bit of time making notes about your project. I don't do this in any formal kind of way ... I just jot down whatever comes to me. This process of brainstorming can
help you get back into the mindset of your project, even if your notes end up being tentative possibilities rather than fixed ideas for how to move forward with the project.
3. Set aside some deliberate time (and, ideally, space) for making a start again. It can be difficult to dive back in and
so easy to put off doing so, day after day. Instead, think about blocking out a specific day or half-day on your calendar. Give your writing the importance it deserves.
As I said, this isn't an easy process. Getting back into
your project may bring up some difficult emotions, as well as practical problems. I want to say that not to discourage you from trying, but to encourage you to keep going even if it's a struggle! If you're keen to carry on with your project, I firmly believe you'll find your way back in.
