Getting Back to a Writing Project

Getting back to a writing project after you’ve been away from it for a few months is so hard! (I took a break to revise another novel.) I’ve been trying out a lot of different strategies:

1) Warm-up writing in my journal

2) Reading through what I’ve done already to get back into the story and characters

3) Reviewing plot notes and my outline, so I remember where the story is going (as if I could forget, I've spent a couple of years on this thing)

4) Reading other people's strategies -- see Nathan Bradford's post on Monday:  How to Return to Writing After a Long Break

5) Telling myself it doesn’t matter if I write crap since I can always delete it

What I need to do is just start writing. 

My best strategy is to start with one tiny bit. A paragraph. A sentence. (Yes, I've had days where all I've written is a sentence. It was a darn good sentence, too). It's the same way I tackled my revisions. Even though it seems like a snail-like process, writing a small amount every day eventually amounts to something. I'm hoping it will start a snowball effect where I just can't not write.

Do you have any good tips for getting back into the writing flow? 

Four Ways to Keep Motivated for Writing

Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. For me, this most often happens after I've sent out some queries and I'm trying to stop thinking about them by working on a new project. The "not for me" responses start trickling in and the beginning excitement of the new project wears off when I actually have to work at it. Then I start looking for ways to avoid writing, like blogging or cleaning my desk (a sign that I'm really in trouble). Does this happen to you?

Here are a few ways I get back on track:

1. Take a writing workshop. Getting an expert's view of the process often inspires me to get working on my writing. Somehow, I see my writing differently after getting another perspective.

2. Talk with a writing group. So much of my inspiration comes from my family and my writing buddies. Lately, my writing buddies and I have been checking in with updates on our writing progress. Knowing that they are working hard on their writing inspires me to work hard too.

3. Set a simple goal. I'm not talking about something like "Finish novel by end of the month". I try to set goals that I feel like I might actually accomplish, especially if I'm trying to build up some writing momentum. If I start small, and then actually meet my goal, it inspires me to reach higher next time.

4. Read (or listen) about writing craft. When my writing is stalled, sometimes I pick up a writing craft book, seek out some writing blogs or tune into a writing podcast for a little inspiration. I don't like to read books in my genre or visit bookstores when I'm lacking motivation, because it just reminds me of what I'm not accomplishing.

How do you stay motivated to work on your writing?

If you're stuck for an idea, check out this post by my MiG Writers group about where we get our best ideas.

How to Stay Motivated: Revisit Writing Goals

I can't believe we're already well into August and I still haven't come close to accomplishing everything I wanted to do this summer. Revising Novel #3 is moving along at a slower-than-snail pace. I think I must have set my sights too high!

But let's look at the positives. I've managed to get a lot of needed tidying and organizing done around the house, and do some things done that weren't on my list (I think they were on my husband's list though), like painting the entranceway and upstairs hall. Even better, a novel idea I had a while ago is resurfacing and I have a different take on it this time. One that begs me to do more thinking and planning.

The only trouble is I'm not doing much writing. I find that if I don't revisit my writing goals from time to time, I'm more likely to fill my free time with things that are totally non-productive. For example, I've recently discovered Plants vs. Zombies. And I don't plan on writing a zombie book any time soon.

How is your writing going this summer? What is your latest craze that's eating away your writing time?

Can Five Minutes a Day Lead to a Better Novel?

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to tone up my writing muscles by trying out some writing exercises. I'm sticking to my goal of making time for 5 or 10 minutes of free writing every morning.

I also decided to stop listening to the inane babble of  morning radio announcers on the drive home from taking the kids to school, which I do right before my writing time begins. I wanted to let my own thoughts fill up my mind instead. Sometimes, I even stop outside and just breathe in the fresh air, listening to the sounds around me.

I feel like these simple strategies have really helped to boost my creativity. Now when I'm free writing, I don't want to stop with the timer's bell. Even though what I've written has little to do with my current project, it seems to have helped me generate ideas. I've already come up with a couple of new scenes to stick on my storyboard.

Another exercise I'm trying is to pretend I'm one of my story characters and then just write their thoughts. I've never done this before (except in the context of writing the novel). But just playing around has already helped me to strengthen my character motivations.

If nothing else, these few minutes of thinking each day are building up my enthusiasm for writing/rewriting my story. Now, if only I could make some time and mental space to get started!

Getting Good News

When a writing buddy gets good news, my first reaction is to scream up and down along with them. Writing is hard and it's important to celebrate those moments! Since I've been with my writing buddies for a long time now, we're more than crit partners, we're friends. I'm genuinely happy when one of them gets news that brings them closer to reaching the big goal of getting published.

I've seen other blog posts about feeling a little jealous or feeling left behind when a buddy has some success. I wouldn't be human if I didn't admit I feel a pinch of something like that when I hear their good news. But it quickly turns into admiration for what that individual has done to achieve their goal. It makes me think, hey, what else could I be doing? She's really great at promoting her work. Or systematic about sending out queries. Or building connections with agents. Or investing in her writing by going to conferences. Maybe I can try that too.

So, yay! Let's cheer for all the good news out there in the writing world. It's a huge reminder that we can do it too.