12 Steps to Return to a Long-Neglected Writing Project
Photo by Damian Denis on Unsplash
Last summer I finished a draft of a middle-grade (MG) novel, and sent it out to a few beta readers – people I trust to give good feedback. They delivered, and I did a cursory read-through of their comments. Before I could do a thorough read-through, or start revision in earnest, I decided to move to a different state.
As anyone who has moved can tell you (especially after spending many years in the same house) it is a huge undertaking. It requires massive amounts of time and mental and physical energy. At that point, I was not thinking of my book. I normally try to keep at least a minimal hand in, but I was flat-out for weeks preparing to move, getting rid of stuff, packing, and – oh, yes, going on vacation in the middle of it all.
Then, there was the whole settling-in, and then the holidays. Again, very difficult to focus and do the deep work required of a major revision.
Now I’m back, and it’s... a mixed bag. It’s been good to have a long time away from the story; it’s given me new perspective, and new ideas for some of the questions I still have about it. I’m reading it over, and overall I like when I’m seeing.
Most writers have them – those manuscripts that sit on our computer, for weeks, months, and sometimes for years. The ones we started with so much hope and fire. The ones where we got fifty pages in and didn’t know where to go from there. The ones we got feedback on we didn’t know how to digest, or implement. The ones where we completed a first draft, but didn’t revise (yet). The ones we mean to get back to, but life just got in the way.
The stories that won’t let us go, whispering in our minds I’m still here, waiting...
It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
The first thing to do is to take a deep breath, and pull the story out again. Then take it step by step:
Remember your why. What was the spark that led to this story? What made you feel like you had to write it?
Re-read it. Focus on what you like about it.
Re-read any comments from beta readers or other readers.
Make some notes about what you need to do next. This will depend on whether you’re in the middle of a first draft, or have a competed draft that needs a lot of revision. If it’s a first draft, you may have new ideas about where the story needs to go. If you’re facing a major revision, you may feel overwhelmed. This is where the Stoplight Method will come in handy to help you organize your notes. You may want to refer to my posts on the Stoplight Method to tackle the revision process:
Red Light issues (major story, structure, and character arc issues)
Yellow Light issues (mid-level issues - scenes, dialogue, minor characters, etc.)
Green Light Issues (minor issues, strengthening and tightening the story and character arcs)
Consider: Do you still want to write it? If not, let it go. Open the door for something new. Thank it for what it taught you. Take time to mourn if you need to.
Journal about any fears and doubts you have about the project. What specifically is holding you back? Get it all out of your head and onto the page.
If you’re ready, make a new commitment to it. Write down your commitment to the project, and to the time you will spend: “I will work on (project) for (minutes) on (days).”
Make a plan. What’s the next thing you need to do? Just focus on that one thing.
Remember you will be rusty. It may not come easily. This doesn’t mean give up!
Let yourself fall in love with it again. If you’re not ready to jump in fully, noodle around. Play with scenes. Get to know the characters again.
Play with your premise. Write that one-sentence “elevator pitch.” Coming up with drafts of it will help you reconnect with your story, and get you excited to work on it again.
Start as small as you need to – that may mean time per session, or word count. You might even start with 5 minutes per session, or 100 words, or whatever feels so laughably easy you don’t have any excuse not to do it. Remember Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule (5-4-3-2-1 Write!) and the 5-Minute Rule: do anything for 5 minutes, and you will overcome your initial fear and inertia and most likely want to continue.
You may experience a lot of emotions as you get back into a long-set-aside project. Excitement, fear, boredom, frustration, elation... I know my emotions are all over the place just reading through my beta reader comments!
As writers, we have to get used to sitting with the discomfort. Feeling whatever we feel, and doing the work anyway. None of it is wrong. It just is. How we feel about our writing doesn’t necessarily correspond to how good or bad it is. In meditation, we just sit through the storm of thoughts and emotions.
As writers, we just write through the storm. And maybe reconnect with a story you just can’t give up on.
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