Easy and Effective Ways on How to Start Writing Again
By: Flynn Hannan
Tags: Writing, Writing Tips, Writers On Medium, Writing Life, Writers On Writing

It’s easy to fall out from the writing wagon when you’ve gone through a long hiatus — when new opportunities come up and, you juggle more workloads than previously. However, writing is a craft that needs commitment and discipline to pull through.

Even though you’ve gone without writing for a long time, reigniting your creative groove is never too late. It may not be something that happens overnight but reigniting the fire is possible once you take into heart these ways on how to start writing again.

Revisit your old works

Take the time to glide back into your old writings, like old works you’re halfway finishing or stories you decided to leave for good. Combing through old works can spark new ideas on how you can tighten it up and perhaps figure out why you should be better off with a new book project.

Figure out why you stopped

Ask yourself: “What made me stop writing?”

Switching your unhealthy writing habits won’t last for long if the deepest root or reason is unresolved. Your reasons for stopping can be because of priorities, increased workload, disappointment, loss of inspiration, and fear.

If you juggle one priority to another, then it’s a matter of time management. If you felt too uninspired to write previously, it’s a matter of discipline. Relying on emotions or inspirations will never get you to start writing, but discipline does. If you received nasty comments from your previous work that led to disappointments, you have to redirect how you see criticisms. There’s always an element of truth behind every criticism. See what you can learn from it and brush off what most people think about you. You cannot please everyone.

Once you figured out the reasons why you stopped and arrived at a solution to straighten it out, the rest of your healthy habits and perspective follows and will change for the better.

Read again

If you took a hiatus in writing and reading, then it’s time to clear up some cobwebs and start fueling your mind with exceptional novels. Always choose the books and the authors you read. While it’s good to test the waters and experience books from less-recognized authors, prioritize authors who excelled in their craft and what you can learn from them.

Get into a writing routine

If you failed previously to commit to writing, one of the effective ways on how to start writing again is to maintain a writing schedule and make it a routine. The goal here is to make your everyday writing a habit until you get the hang of it. The first few days are always the hardest but be patient with your pacing. You don’t have to come up with an actual draft. It can be writing your outline, ideas, or anything relevant to your story.

Employ creative writing exercises

Staring at a blank page for the past few hours is a sign to resort to a fun creative writing exercise. Get ideas through unorthodox ways to refuel your vocabulary and kick-start your creative juices.

Document your story ideas

Whether it’s a handy notebook or a smartphone, you can start a journal anytime where you can document story ideas that show up untimely. You can follow a detailed framework on how you go about your ideas or use bullet points.

Stop beating yourself up

Whatever you failed writing in the past doesn’t define you. You can’t do anything to change the past, but you can definitely change what can happen in the future. Don’t let your guilt eat you up. The truth is, guilt never leads to something rewarding. Instead, it limits you from experience learning. Starting with a plan is the best decision you can make right now.

Getting back into the writing wagon after a long hiatus is a challenge. The key is to get to the root cause and start from there. Whatever seems like a tall task is an opportunity to learn and grow.

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