How To Get Back Into Writing After A Long Hiatus 

Life sometimes just gets in the way and time is forever passing us by. It seemed like it was only October just the other day and I was wearing my witch costume and walking around the haunted streets of Salem and now suddenly Christmas and New Year celebrations are distant memories and all at once it's time to make resolutions again.

In the days after the fireworks announcing the new year I started going over my goals and did a quick progress check-in on all of my work in progress and was sad to see that in my main work -  I had not once opened the document since October so it had begun to gather electronic dust in my document folder. 

With life being unpredictable and such things as interruptions and pauses and well just life getting in the way it's easy to let writing fall to the wayside while everything else is going on, but if you're here then you're ready to get back on the saddle and get back into writing. 

Start Small but Think Big 

If it's been a while since you've written, while in some cases it may be as easy as riding a bike, in others it's just as easy to get overwhelmed when you begin staring down the thousand-word word count of a novel. 

Ease back into it by jotting down ideas, working with some writing prompts, and letting yourself fall back into the rhythm of writing before jumping feet first into the deep end. 

Revisit Old Work

Back to that bike analogy sometimes the easiest way to get back into writing is by going back through your own work whether this be completed or something you have more to write in, sometimes the easiest way to find your voice again is by filling your head with it. 

This works best for me and it allows me to bring myself back into the world I had started and by the time I reach where I had left off I have a sense of direction for where it was I was meaning to bring the story. 

Establish a Routine or Make One Up 

If it's not the writing that's hard for you to get back into, but instead the act of writing itself then the easiest thing to do is to either go back to your old routine or start a new one that will help you start to make writing a habit instead of a chore. 

Wake up, brush your teeth, write 1,000 words, then on with the rest of your day. Or as we discussed in a previous article fit writing into your routine well - wherever it will fit, but make sure to slide it in somewhere and stick with it. 

Start With Books

Maybe instead of life just getting in the way you've lost your appeal for the written word, this could be yours or all of them in general. For this, I would start your rediscovery of writing with the opposite side - reading. 

Immerse yourself slowly into the works of other authors and before you know it a new idea will spark that will send you running for the nearest word processor that you have at your disposal ready to start with a whole new project. 

Be Kind 

Returning to writing after a hiatus is a feat in itself that should be celebrated. It's ok to start slowly and ease back into it and it's ok if you still need more time before you're ready to tackle that novel again. 

Writing is a process that isn't as linear as some may think, but no matter what it will always be there waiting for you to be ready. 

And when you are I know you'll write something fantastic that will make the struggles and the journey all the more worth it in the end. 

With love, 

B.K xo xo

Want to write with me live? I'm now on Twitch! Come join me in some writing sprints every Wed-Thurs-Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm EST

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