Returning to a writing project

Real life gets in the way. If, like most of us, you have a “normal” job in addition to your writing, or you have a family, kids, hobbies, or any other assorted drama that comes with being a human being at some stage your writing schedule has taken a slight knockback.

Or perhaps you’re like me and you’re just one of life’s great procrastinators. You start a writing project with every intention of seeing it through to the end, but somehow a break just gets longer and longer until- well, here we are.

There is no shame in pausing a project

First of all, you have no reason to be embarrassed. “Proper” writers do this all the time, and it is perfectly fine to go back to something you were working on. Pausing something and then returning to it certainly does not mean it is somehow a failed project. It is an extremely rare book which is written in one perfect draft the first time around. Trying to hold yourself to an impossible standard of hyper-disciplined writing and perfectionism where nothing goes wrong is a surefire recipe for disappointment and frustration. You’re human, cut yourself some slack. .

Are you sure you want to return to the project?

Re-read

It might be tempting to jump in and start hammering out the chapters, but it is well worth re-reading what you already have down on the page before you do.
If you’ve taken a lengthy hiatus from a project, take some time to reacquaint yourself with your writing. Memory is fallible and what you remember about the plot, structure and characters may well be markedly different to reality.

The tone is important as well. Reacquainting yourself with your previous work is vital to ensure you get the “feel” for the project before restarting. I can only apologise for how vague and fluffy that sounds, but it’s true. It will help that creative part of your brain change gear and begin anew.

The other reason that I strongly advise re-reading your work is to avoid repetition. You might have an amazing idea, only to discover during the editing process that you used that description/joke/plot twist a couple of chapters back.
 

This is not an invitation to start editing

Write that out on a post-it note and stick it on your desk. Do not start editing! I’ve allowed myself one exclamation mark in this article, and I’m using it here- that’s how important this is. Editing is for the second draft onwards. Even if you spot some truly cringeworthy lines during your re-read, do not edit them. The first draft is the Vomit Draft. Get the damn thing written down and on the page. That’s it, that’s its job. Not to be perfect, not to be publishable. Just to be a heap of words in the vague shape of a story.

If you start editing now, as well as wasting time, you’re also going to get discouraged. You’ll see all the extra work that needs to be done on top of actually writing the damn thing and suddenly the whole task looks impossible. So please, if you take one thing away from this article, make it this one.

Make a list of everything you love about the project

This sounds corny, but it’s a good thing. If you’re getting back into the saddle and restarting a project, you’re going to need to keep your morale up. Remind yourself why you are writing this and what made you start in the first place.

What chapter are you most proud of?
What’s your favourite line so far?
Who’s your favourite character and why?
What scene do you think your readers will most enjoy?

Picture your reader enjoying your book. Imagine what the cover is going to look like and permit yourself a solid ten minutes of daydreaming. Once you’ve done this, make some notes of things you’re excited about as you continue the project.

What scenes are going to be fun to write?
What plot arcs are going to be satisfying to resolve?
Are any villains going to get their comeuppance?
What jokes are you looking forward to telling?

Think about the stumbling blocks

Now comes the slightly less romantic part. You need to think about why the project stalled. This isn’t a blame game or an exercise in self-flagellation, this is to help you identify the problem so it doesn’t repeat itself on you.

Time management is a huge issue for a lot of writers. And the trick is to be flexible; you need to be able to cut yourself some slack. You’re not Stephen King, and you don’t need to feel despondent about not cracking out 2,000 words a day. If you draw yourself up a plan for words per day or a certain number of chapters by a certain date, you need to be flexible and forgiving enough to ensure that when you can’t write for a week because Great Auntie Maureen is ill, the whole thing doesn’t get scrapped.

Knowledge and research are the other factors to consider. Often a project can stall because we don’t know enough about a historical period to properly continue. Fortunately, this is an easy fix. Draw up a list of questions you need to answer and treat yourself to a couple of nice new history books.

Coming back from a dead-end

One of the final reasons why authors abandon a project is they have painted themselves into a corner with the plot. It’s a horrible feeling, especially when you’ve only got yourself to blame. There is a solution to this, but it’s like eating a porcupine- you just have to power on through it.

Firstly, don’t edit. Secondly, don’t delete. The only solution is time travel.
Not literally, obviously. Although if you do have access to that kind of technology that would obviously be a bonus. Rather, if you can’t see a way to resolve a plot problem, just skip the action forward in time to a point where it has already been resolved and continue the story. Obviously, you’ll need to fix this in the second draft, but when you’re holding the full manuscript in your hands, and you have your completed book, what once was an unscalable obstacle, is now a very much achievable editing challenge.