{"id":11000,"date":"2026-07-05T13:19:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/?p=11000"},"modified":"2026-07-05T13:19:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:19:18","slug":"how-do-you-get-back-to-writing-after-years-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-you-get-back-to-writing-after-years-away\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you get back to writing after years away?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Is it possible to get back to writing after over 3 years? At that time was the last time i was able to finish something but i was already unhappy with it, later i stuck completely, anything i tried to write later wasn’t worth to keep. I’m really tired of deleting and crying, i really miss writing but every thing i puke out is terrible. I know nobody can be any better without trying, I don’t want it to be perfect, its not too high expectations but i want to be able to start at least.<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We all take a break from our writing, and if I’m being honest, coming back to it after a break is much, much harder than starting from scratch. I think the stuck feeling, tears, deletions and imposter syndrome are something that every single writer in the world can relate to, and it isn’t something you need to feel shame over. What it shows is that you still care very much about your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming back after a long time away from writing can often feel like you’ve lost something. It can feel like wasted years when you weren’t improving, and a loss of talent, because you’ve inevitably become rustier. Writing is a practice, and when you stop practicing, you deskill, and that can be hugely demotivating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why starting again feels harder than starting from nothing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coming back after a long time away from writing can often feel like you’ve lost something. It can feel like wasted years when you weren’t improving, and a loss of talent, because you’ve inevitably become rustier. Writing is a practice, and when you stop practicing, you deskill, and that can be hugely demotivating. It’s like you’re being observed by the ghost of what could have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you left a project unfinished, or stopped because you weren’t happy with the direction it was going, then you start your writing journey fresh from a place of disappointment. You’re not staring at a blank page anymore. You’re staring at the weight of expectation that comes with a) having to refamiliarise yourself with a projects you don’t remember, b) returning to a project you’re not longer passionate about, or c) starting from scratch and getting rid of all the hard work that past you did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be easy to fall into the trap of trying to prove to yourself that you can do this<\/em>. But that’s the worst way to approach writing after a long time away. You need to give yourself the time to reskill and get back into the swing of things. You wouldn’t ask a marathon runner to just go for it without a warm up, so why should writing be any different? We put pressure on ourselves to just pick up where we left off, but that’s just not possible. You have to ease in to it, and learn to love the act of writing again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem isn’t the writing, it’s what you’re asking it to be<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As much as we say we don’t want our writing to be perfect, it’s easy to say but harder to believe<\/em>. We know we shouldn’t expect it, but realistically, we’re always disappointed when it’s not. The really important thing is to make sure you don’t dwell on that disappointment. If every sentence is judged the moment it exists, then you’ll never be happy. The fact that it exists, is the first step, and it’s important to reframe its very existence as enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most working writers go through these exact same thought processes and fears. Plenty of writing advice and craft books talk about the idea of bad first drafts, but it’s honestly some of the best and most important advice. No first draft comes into the world fully formed as a masterpiece. It takes time, work, and revision. There are pages that exist just for the sake of words on the page, with no obligation to be shown to anyone. It’s how writing works, and coming back after time away just means you’ll have to commit to some additional drafting to get back into the swing of things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, “worth keeping” is the wrong measure entirely. It’s not about whether it’s worth keeping, but rather about the fact that it was written at all. If you put words on the page you committed to improving and moving forward, and that’s the whole job. Stop thinking in terms of the worth of your words, and rethink to consider the worth of the act of writing itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to actually start again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rebuilding after a long break works best when you shrink the target. A few ways to do that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n