This is a reprise, a post that went live on this site just about one year ago today. After talking to both Jill and Steph this week, I’ve realized we could all use these reminders once again. It’s not easy coming back to the page!

Many of us are regrouping after a very busy summer. Just as I’d gotten rolling on a new story, I received edits on my previous book and had to stop to work on that. And now that I’m moving back to a half-written work, I’m reminded of the challenge it can be. I thought I’d encourage you all as I encourage myself.

You may not find yourself in my place exactly, but there are so many reasons to take a break from the story you’re writing. You may not even intend to do it, but life happens, time passes, and all of a sudden it’s been a month and you haven’t opened the document on your computer.

It happens to all of us. Whether by intention or accident, our writing projects are often interrupted and we find ourselves in the challenging, sometimes overwhelming, position of having to somehow pick up where we left off.

Three things to consider as you charge forward:

The time away has given you new eyes. I know it feels heavy as you wade back in, but those days and months have likely softened the hard and fast opinions you held when last you wrote. This will serve you well. As you settle in, your eyes will be looking at your story as it is and not as you imagine it to be. You’ll see typos and inconsistencies you never realized you’d left behind, and you won’t be so married to those darling words you were once attached to.

Sometimes the time away shows us that we were wrong to doubt the magic of our story. Oftentimes what we’ve left behind is better than what we’ve told ourselves. This is always a happy surprise.

The words you’ve already written can point you in the right direction. One of the reasons we continue to avoid a work in progress is because we’re lost. We have some stuff we like, but we’ve written ourselves into a corner. We have no idea where to go next. If this is where you find yourself, you need to reread what’s already there. As you do, keep a notebook at your elbow and jot down clues you’ve left behind.

A character is suspicious? That could work in your favor. The weather has changed in an eerie, unexpected way? There’s a scene and a possible storyline right there. One of your characters is eternally optimistic? What happens if you take that away?

So often we look outside our stories for the answer to what comes next, but it starts by looking inside what’s already there. As you grow, your instincts will improve and you’ll begin to see possible twists and turns and ways forward as they present themselves.

Rebuilding stamina is a real thing. If you’ve dropped your writing routine after having established a consistent schedule, you’ll need to rebuild your stamina before you can sit in the chair and create for extended periods of time.

My sister is a long distance runner, but after a hard life circumstance she’d dropped it entirely. When she tried to pick it up again, she had to ease back in. A mile here and a mile there. The physical strain was a challenge but the emotional strain was unexpected. She knew she could go harder and faster—she’d done it before—but her body fought her every step of the way and that led to frustration.

As writers, a long absence from the chair will be similar. The discipline of consistency must be reestablished. Until it is, we’ll find ourselves antsy and easily distracted. The internet will suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world.

Or, maybe we know that to truly finish this project, we’ll have to allow ourselves to tumble into another world and, for whatever reason, our minds are resistant. The here and now keeps us from exploring fictional people and places.

It’s even possible that our bodies themselves will fight back against hours in front of a screen. You’ll get tired faster. Your eyes will burn. Your hands will ache. And your butt begins to truly despise the chair.

All of these things are normal. My advice is to do what my sister did. Ease back into your routine. Set small, attainable goals and grow from there. The most important aspect is consistency. If your goal is to write every other day, do it, even if it’s just for small portions of time. If your goal is to write a chapter a week, maybe start with a scene a week, or five pages a week and increase your goals as your stamina rebuilds.

Whatever you do, don’t believe the lie that taking a break means your story isn’t worth a second (or third or fourth) effort. You can control this aspect of the journey. And like everything else, it takes practice.

Tell me, what do you struggle with after taking an extended break? Do you have advice for your fellow writers?