How I get back to writing after a long break or writer's block

A guide on how I get myself feeling inspired again

There have been many times since I began working on my novel where I have taken prolonged breaks from it. These breaks have been caused by my job, writer’s block, or even just from feeling a lack of creativity in general. It can be frustrating when the thing you have worked on and nurtured for so long becomes completely uninteresting to you for one reason or another.

I have been struggling with this recently. I went on holiday at the beginning of June and have hardly touched my novel since being back. This is strange because the entire time I was away I couldn’t stop thinking about my novel. I had to buy a notebook from one the supermarkets because I was feeling so inspired and I physically couldn’t hold myself back from writing. However, as soon as I arrived home, notebook of ideas in hand, I couldn’t bring myself to even open my laptop.

Now, a month later, I have finally got back to my writing. Just yesterday, I finished the entire plan for my novel. I solved plot holes I have been agonising over for months in an evening.

I thought I’d compile a list of some of the things I do to get myself back into the creative mindset in case it would be helpful to anyone out there.

1. Write a diary page for each character

I find it really useful to write a diary page for each of my characters. Sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly where you left them and the exact plans you had for them in that moment. I like to write from their perspective in the moment I left them in. What has just happened? What does it mean for your character? How are they feeling—angry, sad, happy? What are they hoping to achieve? What is haunting them? I find that doing this really helps me to get back into the mindset of my characters. The best thing about this is that it doesn’t have to be perfect at all. It can be silly, it can be messy, it doesn’t matter—nobody is going to read it! This exercise also helps with the development of your character’s voice. For example, the diary entries I write for my character Cassandra [16 year old, shy, sensitive girl] are very different to those I write for Matthew [her 21 year old, angry, older brother].

2. Loop a song/album that you associate with your writing

I have multiple playlists dedicated to my novel. I have one that captures the overall vibe of the book as well as individual playlists for each character and relationship within the novel. For me, Ethel Cain’s album ‘Perverts’ is so inspiring to me when it comes to writing in general; it is the first thing I play when I sit down to write. However, when I want to get inspired I like to loop songs that I feel really resonate with my characters and the situations they experience within the story. For example, ‘Willing and Able’ by Noah Kahan really inspires me to delve into the sibling relationship between my characters Cassandra and Matthew. Ethel Cain’s ‘Tempest’ makes me want to write Matthew, and ‘Waco, Texas’ makes me want to write about Sam and her relationship with Cassandra. As someone who feels music very deeply, this is really helpful as I can almost see scenes unfolding in my head as I listen to the lyrics.

3. Scroll Pinterest for inspiration

Add pictures to your character/WIP Pinterest boards! [I know you have them…] This helps you get back into the headspace of your characters and the overall vibe and aesthetic of your WIP. There has been multiple times where I have created entire scenes of my novel inspired solely by a picture or quote I had seen on Pinterest.

4. Write a standalone piece about them

Try and write a piece about your character that is completely isolated from the novel itself. I think of them as character studies—simply sit down and write your character. Get back into their mindset and navigate the world through their eyes again. They can be doing whatever you want, it really doesn’t matter. This exercise is simply about getting to know your character again (much like the diary exercise). This also helps free you from the stress of plot if that is something you are struggling with.

5. Write a scene you are excited about

If plot is the thing that is holding you back—skip ahead. It’s okay to write out of order (as long as you organise your work to save yourself time later on). When I feel stuck on a scene, a lot of the time I will just skip it. I simply leave a note on my word doc (e.g. [find a way to wrap this scene up]) and move on. Writing a scene you are looking forward to will get you feeling excited about the project again and you’ll want to dive right back into it. Don’t worry about not having the right context for the scene because you have skipped ahead, it really doesn’t matter because you’ll rewrite the scene when you get to it anyway. This is simply to reignite your passion and get you to remember why you were so excited about your book in the first place.

And that’s all! I hope this was helpful to some of you. Let me know in the comments what you to do get rid of writer’s block or to pick your work back up after a long break!