How Writers Can Restart Their Fiction After a Long Dry Spell: Finding Momentum, Motivation, and a New Writing Routine

From Edie: Struggling to return to fiction after a long writing dry spell? Discover practical encouragement and simple steps to restart your novel, rebuild momentum, and create a writing routine that fits real life. This hopeful guide helps writers find motivation, clarity, and joy on the writing journey again.

How Writers Can Restart Their Fiction After a Long Dry Spell: Finding Momentum, Motivation, and a New Writing Routine

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

I have to admit, I’m going through a dry spell with my writing—specifically my fiction writing. Recently, it seems I can focus only on articles. I love sharing here what I’m learning on my learning journey. On this blog, we have a great group of accomplished and award-winning writers contributing wisdom on the craft and business of writing.

I’m not one of them. I can’t look down from a peak and shout directions to us climbers below about how to traverse the writing mountain. Yet.

How to Know the Ending of Your Story from the Beginning: Using Goal, Motivation, and Conflict

From Edie: Discover how to predict your story’s ending from the first page by mastering Goal, Motivation, and Conflict—your key to stronger plots and characters.

How to Know the Ending of Your Story from the Beginning: Using Goal, Motivation, and Conflict

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

One of my favorite things to do when I teach a writing class is to brag a little. I love telling the eager, bright-faced, writers (newbies or oldies) that I can tell them the end of their story if they tell me the beginning. Of course, they don’t believe me but, truly, if you know the system, it’s not hard at all.

So. Tell me the beginning of your story. Tell me who your main protagonist is, the one the book is really about. Give me a couple of character traits. Then, tell me what that character wants. 

When the Well Runs Dry

I just spent the last two weeks at beach camp—with no Internet access. Trust me, it was a blessing and a curse. I did actually spend a good portion of the time working. I was there to teach a class on self-esteem and to help chaperone. The first week my group consisted of middle school girls and the second week it was high school girls. It was a great two weeks, but I’ve had to work much harder to be productive today. And that fact leads me to today’s topic. How to write when you’re not in the mood.

It happens to us all, but that very issue is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. I don’t believe whether or not you get paid for something you write is more defining than the fact that you’re willing to sit down and produce even if you’re not in the mood. If you have the discipline and drive to write through the mood swings I’m certain the income will follow.

At this point in my career I don’t have a choice, I have deadlines and commitments (twelve deliverables by Friday). I have to be productive today, even if it takes eleven hours instead of my usual seven. But what about those of you who don’t have an outside push to keep you on track? Are there things you can do to help fight off the lack of motivation? Absolutely. All professional writers have things they do to help when inspiration runs dry. Here are some of my favorites.

• Set deadlines. Even if you don’t have a client waiting for an article, give yourself a deadline. Then, write it down. It’s easy to fudge a deadline when it’s just in your head.
• Set a weekly writing goal. If you write fiction, it may be a word goal. If you write articles or devotions, it may be a finished product goal. (like, I’ll have 2 finished devotions every week)
• Find a critique group or partner. If you’re meeting regularly with someone, you’re more apt to be producing regularly. What if you don’t know any writers nearby to meet with? Look for an online group.

These three things will keep you on track when the writing muse is absent. What are some things you’ve found to help when you run low?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie