{"id":10576,"date":"2026-01-24T13:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T13:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/?p=10576"},"modified":"2026-01-24T13:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T13:33:14","slug":"how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you start writing again after a long break?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“I took a long break from writing. I want to start writing again but I don’t know how. What should I do?”<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Writing takes a lot of time and effort, so I think we all have occasions when we\u2019ve stepped away from it. Life happens, burnout is real, health, family, or work responsibilities often get in the way, or sometimes, it\u2019s as simple as losing your spark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming back after you\u2019ve taken a break from writing can feel really daunting. For me, it often feels like a reset; like all the amazing progress I made before the break has put me back to square one. Not only do I feel like my skills have diminished, but I\u2019m often not as excited by my story ideas, or I just get overwhelmed by the sheer size of the task ahead of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, these are just my anxieties talking. Like getting back on a bike after a few years, you\u2019ll be nervous when you first get back in the saddle, but it will come back to you\u2026well\u2026like riding a bike. All you need to do is commit to that first step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give yourself permission to start small<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest mistakes we make when returning from a writing break is expecting to pick up exactly where we left off. If you used to write 500 words a day, jumping straight back into that routine is probably not going to work. You\u2019ll burn yourself out pretty quickly and set yourself up for disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like all practices, you need to start with something manageable. When you\u2019ve taken a break, you\u2019re essentially building a new habit again. It will come quicker than it did the first time, but you still need to get yourself back into the swing of things. Keep your goals low so your motivation stays up. Rebuild the habit of putting words on the page. You wouldn\u2019t run a marathon after a year off exercise, so why would you put yourself through that with your writing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t start with your “big” project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve taken a break in the middle of a big project, don\u2019t dive straight back in. You can do project-related writing things, but try to ease your way back into it to avoid putting any unnecessary pressure on yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve taken a break from something involved, then you should never dive in before reading through what you\u2019ve done completely. You need to re-familiarise yourself with what you\u2019ve already written, and maybe play around in the story world a bit before really diving back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do some freewriting, or give yourself some project-relevant story prompts. Do some character development<\/a>, or write a random scene that\u2019s in your head, even if it\u2019ll never end up in the finished manuscript. The aim is to get yourself back into the right creative headspace for the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconnect with why you write<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A long break can happen for a lot of different reasons. But whatever the reason, it was something that took you away from writing, so it\u2019s important to interrogate why and reflect on your current relationship with writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself why you stopped. Is it something you could have worked through? Was it out of your control? Could you build a writing practice around it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing why you stopped is important to understanding how to keep up your practice. If outside forces stopped you, then you might be able to reduce your writing time to something more manageable in the future. But if you stopped because you lost the love for your project, then there\u2019s some other reflection<\/a> you can do to help overcome that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a sustainable routine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Consistency matters more than intensity when rebuilding a writing practice. Rather than planning marathon sessions, focus on building a routine and habit that you can actually maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Choose a goal that\u2019s achievable and manageable. If you can\u2019t dedicate a specific time every day to write, try a weekly word count goal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Find a dedicated space where you feel comfortable to write. It could be a desk, your favourite coffee shop, in bed, or the kitchen table when everyone else has gone to sleep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Have your writing tools handy so you can write whenever inspiration strikes. I have Novlr bookmarked on my phone so I can literally update my manuscripts on the go, and it\u2019s made me so much more dedicated to my writing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Ultimately, you want to make writing feel like a natural and integrated part of your day, rather than an overwhelming obligation. It can be hard work, but it doesn\u2019t have to be a burden. Writing is literally my job, but it never feels like a chore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Be patient with yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I know this is easier said than done, because all of us writers have such incredibly high expectations of ourselves. When you first come back to writing after a break, your first forays back to the written word will <\/em>feel clunky. Your sentences won\u2019t <\/em>flow the way they used to. And your characters won\u2019t<\/em> feel as fleshed out as you remember. This is totally normal, and it does not<\/em> mean you\u2019ve lost your talent for writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Writing is a skill that you hone with practice, and like any skill it will get a little rusty when you haven\u2019t used it for a while. Once you get back into the swing of things, you\u2019ll see yourself improve incredibly fast. You just have to push through the initial rustiness and remember that you\u2019re working toward something bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let media rekindle inspiration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re struggling to find motivation, try going back to books that made you want to write in the first place. Listen to music that inspires you. Or watch films or television shows that have sparked ideas in the past. I find my best ideas when I\u2019m inspired by other media, so just pay attention to what excites you and make sure you capitalise on inspiration when it strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Coming back to writing after a break isn’t about recapturing exactly what you had before. It’s about building something new and building on your experiences. Start small, be kind to yourself, and trust that the words will come. All you need to do is practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The most important step is the first one. Open a document, pick up a pen, and write something. There\u2019s no better way to get back into writing than to just start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “I took a long break from writing. I want to start writing again but I don’t know how. What should I do?” Writing takes a lot of time and effort, so I think we all have occasions when we\u2019ve stepped away from it. Life happens, burnout is real, health, family, or work responsibilities often get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-10576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-novlr","tag-motivation","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nHow do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Novlr Reading Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/novlr\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1260\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@novlrtweets\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@novlrtweets\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/726ed0ac79316fa69373ac67027dd121\"},\"headline\":\"How do you start writing again after a long break?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1112,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Frame-180-2.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"motivation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Ask Novlr\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/\",\"name\":\"How do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Frame-180-2.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Frame-180-2.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Frame-180-2.webp\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"How do you start writing again after a long break? - Ask Novlr\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How do you start writing again after a long break?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Novlr Reading Room\",\"description\":\"Your one-stop blog for writing tips, advice, and inspiration.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Novlr\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Novlr-logo-square.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Novlr-logo-square.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Novlr\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/novlr\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/novlrtweets\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/novlrofficial\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.threads.net\\\/@novlrofficial\",\"https:\\\/\\\/novlr.tumblr.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bsky.app\\\/profile\\\/novlr.org\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/726ed0ac79316fa69373ac67027dd121\",\"name\":\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\"},\"description\":\"Pamela is a freelance ghostwriter, editor, and professional historian, as well as the Writer Development and Community Lead at Novlr. She writes non-fiction and fiction works for both commercial publishers and self-published writers. With almost two decade's worth of experience in all aspects of the book trade, she loves sharing her expertise to help and inspire other writers.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/prosebypamela.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/pamelakd\\\/\",\"Pamela Koehne-Drube\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.novlr.org\\\/the-reading-room\\\/author\\\/pamela-koehne-drube\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room","description":"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room","og_description":"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/","og_site_name":"The Novlr Reading Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/novlr\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1260,"url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Pamela Koehne-Drube","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@novlrtweets","twitter_site":"@novlrtweets","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Pamela Koehne-Drube","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/"},"author":{"name":"Pamela Koehne-Drube","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#\/schema\/person\/726ed0ac79316fa69373ac67027dd121"},"headline":"How do you start writing again after a long break?","datePublished":"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/"},"wordCount":1112,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp","keywords":["motivation"],"articleSection":["Ask Novlr"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/","url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/","name":"How do you start writing again after a long break? | The Novlr Reading Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp","datePublished":"2026-01-24T13:33:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-24T13:33:14+00:00","description":"Feeling stuck after stepping away from writing? Start writing again by rebuilding your writing habit and reconnecting with your creativity.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Frame-180-2.webp","width":1920,"height":1260,"caption":"How do you start writing again after a long break? - Ask Novlr"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-start-writing-again-after-a-long-break\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How do you start writing again after a long break?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/","name":"The Novlr Reading Room","description":"Your one-stop blog for writing tips, advice, and inspiration.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#organization","name":"Novlr","url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Novlr-logo-square.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Novlr-logo-square.png","width":1080,"height":1080,"caption":"Novlr"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/novlr\/","https:\/\/x.com\/novlrtweets","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/novlrofficial\/","https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@novlrofficial","https:\/\/novlr.tumblr.com\/","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/novlr.org"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/#\/schema\/person\/726ed0ac79316fa69373ac67027dd121","name":"Pamela Koehne-Drube","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7731d0fbbccbc0698a73f08699793406d81a9274400a126a9462151f10fcf2d3?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.novlr.org%2Fthe-reading-room%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FPortrait-1-150x150.png&r=g","caption":"Pamela Koehne-Drube"},"description":"Pamela is a freelance ghostwriter, editor, and professional historian, as well as the Writer Development and Community Lead at Novlr. She writes non-fiction and fiction works for both commercial publishers and self-published writers. With almost two decade's worth of experience in all aspects of the book trade, she loves sharing her expertise to help and inspire other writers.","sameAs":["https:\/\/prosebypamela.com","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pamelakd\/","Pamela Koehne-Drube"],"url":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/author\/pamela-koehne-drube\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10578,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10576\/revisions\/10578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}