A letter I received a few weeks ago asked a question most writers will have at one point or another.
I’m working on a fiction piece that I had to step away from because of a move for my husband’s job. I’m having a lot of trouble getting back into the right mindset to write this particular story. Do you have any suggestions for making this work? I love this story in the making too much to let it go.
Haven’t we all been in this postion? You love your story, you love how far you’ve come, but you’ve just been too busy lately to work on it. By the time you do get back to it, it’s looking a bit stale.
Occasionally, these abandoned manuscripts are best left where they are, but in most cases we can benefit from picking up where we left off and fighting to the finish. After all, a writer who never finishes anything is doomed to be an unpublished writer, indefinitely.
The next time you’re struggling to get back into your work-in-progress, try these six strategies:
1. Read through what you’ve written so far.
Obviously, the first way to reconnect with your writing is to read it from beginning to end.
If you’ve already spent a couple of weeks or even months away from it, you’ll have the benefit of seeing what you’ve written with fresh eyes. That means you’re more likely to see the piece the way someone else would see it.
2. Acknowledge issues preventing you from moving forward.
Fresh eyes often help you see problems with your story that you never noticed before. Is the reason you’re having difficulty getting back into your manuscript because there’s a fundamental problem with it?
If something’s been nagging you about your plot, your structure, or your characters, and you’ve been turning a blind eye thus far, it’s time to acknowledge that those issues could be preventing you from moving forward.
Think about what needs to happen before you can continue.
3. Review your goals and plans for this particular project.
When you started this piece, did you set goals for yourself? And, did you plan where you were going with your story?
If so, reviewing your goals and plans can help put you back in the right frame of mind—the frame of mind you were in when you started the project and felt like you had everything under control.
Didn’t get around to that in the beginning? Now’s a good time to create some goals for what you want to achieve, and make some plans for where you want your story to go. When you hit the next slump, you’ll be able to keep on track by reviewing them.
4. Read something similar to what you’re trying to write.
If you’re writing a novel, pick up a couple of books in the same genre and with a similar feel. If it’s a short story you’re working on, read ones similar to the type of story you’re trying to write.
Pay attention to how you feel as you read, how the author draws you into the story, and what kind of language is used. In what ways is your writing similar to these ones? In what way is it different?
5. Set aside a special time to work on the project.
Sometimes we feel disconnected from our work-in-progress because we haven’t been setting aside enough time to work on it exclusively.
Sitting down every day for a short-but-focused writing session at a pre-scheduled time, and completely devoting yourself to that piece during those sessions, can help get you back to where you want to be, mentally.
6. Plan a reward for yourself.
Maybe what you need is a little something to sweeten the deal.
What reward could entice you to devote your attentions back to this project? Is there something you’ve been wanting to buy or do for a long time, which you could use as the dangling carrot?
Think of an appropriate reward for completing your project to keep you motivated.
Preventing Future Problems
I don’t know that there’s any fail-proof method of not falling into this mental disconnect with your writing, but careful planning and goal-setting, and spending adequate time on a project, can help prevent it from happening again in the future.
What situations have caused you to disconnect from your work-in-progress? What strategies help you get back on track?
Ugh, how often does this happen to me? Its annoying, but a lot of these tips/pointers are exactly how I get back into the groove so to speak.
Its nice to know, however, that I’m not the only person this happens to. 😀
I started writing a novel over two years ago and probably haven’t looked at it in at least a year, if not more. So this post definitely caught my eye as I start to feel the itch to go back and revise again. Kinda scared for what I’ll find, but I guess that makes me excited too.
That IS a long time to be away from a project, but with a little hard work I’m sure you’ll be able to get back in!
I was beginning to think I had commitment issues. I have a dozen started projects and three that I thought I had really committed to before the fire just petered out. Disconnect hits me in slow pieces, like when I say I will write every day and after a couple weeks little excuses crop up and slowly add together until I’ve completely lost my momentum. In one case, I think I told the story to a friend to bounce some ideas off her vast genre knowledge and found I could no longer get the same drive in completing the story because it was already out in the wild. Thanks for these steps, I will definitely start (ha, and finish) applying them to my favorite stalled projects.
Have you tried working on some shorter pieces (short stories, flash fiction, nonfiction articles) to experience how wonderful it feels to finish something completely? Maybe experiencing that feeling can help motivate you toward finishing longer projects!
Oh, gosh! The short projects are the problem! I have three short stories in mid-dive. I only have one stalled novel (that I know needs to be scrapped and retooled). I’ll see if I can work some flash fiction around one of my short stories – that will probably get me excited again. Thanks!
I am a writer, and agree with what you have to say. I have several goals and plans for finishing my books and publishing them. The hard part is I am getting read to move so this is on hold for the moment. I learn from everyone’s blog, especially yours. Thanks for blessing me today.
Thanks for sharing, Jackie! I just moved house, so I know your pain in having to put things on hold. Very annoying 🙂
Suggestions 4 and 5 work best for me. I find that I get even more bogged down if I starting wading through the mazes in my own being that are involved in suggestions 2 and 3. In fact, honest confession: just reading something similar to what I am trying to write has always worked all by itself for me. Good writing by others with a similar moral and/or cultural perspective on specific issues has always gotten me writing my own stuff, since early elementary school years, actually! For example, a current article in THE SUN (November issue) entitled YOUR OWN DAMN LIFE, interviewing Michael Meade about becoming an elder, not just a senior citizen, and being truly ALIVE when you die has been a major kick in the pants this week for me!
I’ve been having exactly this problem trying to get back “into” a WIP I draft for Nano last year. I think nos. 2 and 5 might be the key for me. Thanks!
Music is a very powerful tool, if you can work to music – I know a lot of people can’t. I create a playlist around a story and keep adding tracks as I write. When I open my document again, the music helps me get back in the mood, no matter how long I’ve been away. I was in a shop the other day and heard a song I associate with a book abandoned ages ago due to plot problems. Without any conscious thought, my mind went to work automatically, and I figured out a solution that will let me pick up where I left off on that particular piece. Magic!
I find reading through it all (phew) and setting aside enough time to really get started again are the two keys for me. And if I get a new idea or see how to improve something, that is always a boost.
I’ve used several of these ideas for an MS that I left either unfinished or plan to rewrite entirely. Take notes as you re-read (either the whole or the full) and although I don’t use them all the time … make a skeleton outline. Use separate Note files on youir MS doc or whatever software you have and also write different scenes you might want to fit in later. If you never wrote one in the first place, write a complete characterization for the MC and main supporting characters. Write a complete outline and prose narrative description of the setting (second most important character) and lastly, write or rewrite the base line of the story, who, why, when, where and how.
The best way to jump start old work is not to think too much and as they say “just do it.”
You’d be surprised how the practice of reading and taking notes can bring you back to the moment.
Good luck 🙂
Thank you all for your added suggestions on how to get back into an old writing project! Hopefully those reading will pick up some further ideas for themselves from your experiences.
Here’s my dilemma. I have a project I started for NaNo back in 2006. I was on track for about the first week. I loved my idea, my MC, my setting…my Muse just wouldn’t keep quiet.
Then my Grandmother fell sick, we found out it was terminal. I put the writing on hold, devoting my time to her. She passed away, I grieved. Never put another word into my WiP during the rest of NaNo.
After a few months, I tried to pick up where I left off and nothing… It’s now almost 5 years and I still can’t continue, let alone get near finished. But it’s something I really want to finish. Any suggestions on how to do that?
I actually have a novel manuscript from several years back that I abandoned, and whenever I go back to it I think it would still make a great story. However, because it’s been a few years, and because I’ve done so much other writing since then, I know I’m a much better writer now. Even though I have about 200 pages of that novel written, if I were to start writing it again, I think I would start over from scratch. I’d take the same premise, the same characters, the same conflict, but I’d rewrite the entire thing without looking at the original. The finished product would be far superior, I have no doubt. Maybe this could work for you?
This was great advise and very timely, I’m working on a wip as we speak and can use the tips.
Great suggestions.
Going on retreat always helps me. I get away twice a year to Writescape weekend retreats. They’re a combination of workshops, private writing time, one-on-one consultation and time in the community of other writers. I always come away energized and bubbling with ideas. (So excited–leaving Friday for the fall retreat with BARRY DEMPSTER as guest facilitator!!!)
When you’re stuck or disconnected, just a break from the distractions of home and sufficient time to really immerse in the story can turn it all around. I always come away from my retreats with enough momentum to carry me along for quite a while.
In case you’re interested, you can find more information on Writescape retreats at http://www.writescape.ca. But there’s bound to be a retreat close to just about anywhere.
I was just thinking about picking up a story I started 2 years ago and been wondering how to come back to it. I like the idea of setting aside a little time to work on it because I have another project I would really like to start but feel I need to finish this story…and because a friend keeps asking me too. Thanks for the advice!