Writer’s Corner – 2018 – Post #2

Writer’s Corner – 2018 – Post #2

How do you return to writing after taking some time off?

My two cents, but please share yours:

I favor a gentle approach, easing back into the writing. Here are a set of steps that have worked before.

• Spend 2-3 weeks daydreaming for an hour per day about your current story plot and how your characters have evolved since you last wrote about them. As you get ideas, write them down.
• Day 1:  Review all of your new notes and any notes from before your writing break. Write (or edit) page 1.
• Day 2:  Review all of your old and new notes again. Write pages 2 and 3.
• Day 3:  Write pages 4, 5, and 6.
• Day 4:  Write pages 7, 8, 9, and 10.
• Day 5:  Daydream for at least an hour about your story plot and characters. Make more notes.
• Day 6 and 7: Take a break. Allow the story to “simmer on the back burner.”
• Day 8:  Try to write your normal number of pages or word count. If it’s too much, write at least 5 pages.
• Increase the page count daily until you reach your normal writing rate.

If life gets in the way–and it will–go back to Day 1 and continue from there. Happy writing!