by Adedotun Adejoorin
There are times when ‘life happens’ and you stop writing not because you want to but because things just happen. Probably work responsibilities became too much or family activities keep you from writing.
So what happens after you have lost your writing groove and finding it difficult to get it back? Is all hope lost? Thankfully, the answer is no.
Here are a few things you can do:
1) Stop feeling guilty.
It is very easy to beat yourself up and regret why you stopped writing. You could spend hours, days or even weeks, moping about how fantastic your writing skills were ‘back in the days.’ Unfortunately, all these will not solve the issue at hand. Stop beating yourself up. Guilt hinders creativity.
2) Read, read, read.
A good way to warm up your writing is by reading. Let other people’s work inspire you. Read anything: blogs, novels, or magazines. Reading gives you fresh concepts, which can mix together to form new ideas that can get your creative juice to flow.
3) Keep going.
When you start writing, it will not feel right at first. It will most likely feel very awkward. This is because you have not written in a long time but stopping won’t help you. Even when it doesn’t seem like your flow is going well keep writing. Don’t stop, in due time you will get your consistency back.
4) Have a writing schedule.
One of the reasons why writers lose their groove is because there is no detailed plan as to what and when to write. As a result, you write when you feel like it. If you want to take your writing seriously you need to have a schedule. You could commit to writing an article once every day and stick to it. You’ll gradually get you flow back.
5) Have a new experience.
Do something new and exciting no matter how small. You could go on a road trip or visit a new restaurant. Just make sure you experience something new. Something that can stimulate your writing instinct and you can also write about it.
The trick is keep going no matter what. Keep writing until you get your groove back.
Good luck!