How to Restart a Novel After a Two-Month Break Without Rewriting Everything
Coming back to a novel after a long break can make you question everything you wrote. Find your way back into the story, identify what actually needs fixed, and start writing again without unnecessarily rewriting your entire draft.
The First 30 Days of a New Draft: A Week-by-Week Writing Plan for January
January has a reputation problem among writers. It’s framed as a clean slate, a fresh start, a month where motivation should be effortless and discipline should magically appear. In reality, January often arrives with mental fatigue, lingering obligations, and anxiety about whether this will finally be the year you finish something. Starting a new draft […]
December Writing Retreat at Home: A 3-Day Plan to Restart a Stalled Novel Without Leaving Your House
December is a weird time. The year is winding down, the days are short, and most people are either sprinting toward deadlines or collapsing into holiday mode. It’s the perfect crack in the calendar to steal three uninterrupted days for your novel. Yes, you know, the one that’s been gathering dust since summer (or longer). […]
Idea Overflow: Keeping Track of and Using Unrelated Inspirations
Ideas often pop up when you’re in the middle of writing something completely different. You might be deep in your novel’s second act when, suddenly, you imagine a brand-new character or setting that has no place in your current story. It’s tempting to shove these stray ideas into your current story and experiment around with […]