Returning to Writing After a Break

by Elizabeth Spann Craig, @elizabethscraig

2020 was a difficult year for all of us. I wrapped up my own difficult year with my father’s death last month. I immediately stopped everything else I was doing and went to South Carolina to be with my mother who was devastated after losing her husband after 51 years of marriage. Aside from missing Daddy, a retired high school English teacher and college adjunct who was a major positive influence on me and my work, there was a lot of business surrounding his passing to attend to.

I didn’t write. I was too exhausted to do it and way too knocked off my regimen in another state and with a completely different routine there.

Two weeks passed there and I felt . . . awful.

Besides missing Daddy and trying to come to terms with his death, the thing that bothered me most was the fact I hadn’t written. I missed it. I missed my characters and the world I’d made up with them in it. My days just felt wrong.

My kids asked me when I’d last gone two weeks without writing and I had to think about it.  2007? 2002? Before my 19-year-old daughter was born? At any rate, a very long time ago.

Two weeks might not seem like much time. I totally understand that…others have great writing schedules where they do all their work on their project a few days out of the month. It’s whatever works best for us…that’s the right way to tackle writing. But for someone who writes every day as part of their process, two weeks felt like an eternity.

As soon as I returned home, and despite it being a couple of days before Christmas, I hesitantly opened my Word document. Here are my tips for doing so, if you have a longer-than-usual break from writing (whether it’s a year, a month, or a few days) and are trying to return to your story.

Tips for Returning to Your Story After a Break

Take a clearly defined break. Maybe you realize you’re not ready to take your story on yet. It can help to mark on your calendar the day you do want to delve into writing again.

Take it easy.  Be forgiving of yourself and your efforts. Make sure self-care is a priority as you’re trying to pick your project back up. Hydrate, sleep, take walks.

Set the bar low.  You’re probably not going to immediately return to your previous daily word-count. Better to set a very low temporary goal. Think about starting at just 5 minutes.

Consider re-reading what you’ve written. This is usually something I never do (because I end up feeling discouraged about my story or I jump into edit mode). But I needed to read at least the last few pages over to be sure I knew where I was picking up with my outline.

Use writing sprints.  Sprints, either joining one on YouTube or doing one on your own with a timer, can be a great way to fit writing in. It helps knowing there’s a relatively short window you’re trying to stay focused in.

Adhere to your routine. Routines are everything to me. It’s what makes writing muscle memory most of the time. For me, this is getting up at the same time every morning, letting the dog out, getting some water, and sitting down to write. Falling back into your usual schedule can help.

Or, conversely, don’t. And find a new one.  You may find, however, that, for whatever reason, your old routine isn’t working any longer. Experiment with a new one until you find a writing ritual that does.

I’m hoping we all have a better 2021! Have you had any unexpected breaks from writing? How have you gotten back into it again?