There’s nothing more exciting than working on a new project—all your creative synapses are firing and you have a seemingly endless well of inspiration. But eventually, you hit a wall. Or maybe you just get busy and don’t have much time to write.
Soon enough, your shiny new project turns into an old project that you don’t know how to move forward with. So, you either leave the work unfinished and move on to something new or stop writing completely, plagued with guilt for having abandoned your work-in-progress.
I have been in your shoes many times. Both of my self-published books took me years to write. Life happens, and sometimes you have to put your WIPs aside for a while. I know how jarring it can be to try to jump right back into working on an old project you haven’t looked at in months or maybe even years. But you shouldn’t let that keep you from continuing work on a promising story. Here are five tips on how to pick an old project back up again.
1) Read the Project Over
The first step in picking up an old project is literally picking it up and rereading it. Time spent away from a WIP is actually a huge advantage since it helps you to see your work more as a reader than as a writer. It’s possible that you won’t remember all the twists and turns of your plot and the work will no longer seem like something you wrote. With this sense of objectivity, you’ll be able to spot issues you wouldn’t have noticed when you were too close to the project.
As you read, I would recommend taking notes on any inconsistencies you see or suggestions you might have. I keep my notes in a Notepad file since it’s easy to keep on the screen at the same time as my manuscript. You can also use Track Changes if you’re using Microsoft Word or taking notes in a notebook. These notes will help tremendously to get back into the rhythm of working on this story.
2) Revisit/Make Playlists
I have stated many times before how useful I find making playlists to be to the novel writing process. Nothing helps to get me in the mindset of a certain character or feel like I’ve sunk into a particular locale like listening to one of my playlists. As someone who has taken long breaks from writing multiple projects, I can’t overemphasize how helpful my playlists have been in getting me back in the mood to work on an old story.
You may think you can’t use this tip because you never made playlists the first time around. But you can make playlists for your book at any point in the writing process. Some of my playlists were created shortly before work on a certain scene began because that was when I was in the right mindset to create it. And I add new songs to the characters’ playlists throughout writing the book as I get to know them better. Revisiting playlists or creating them for the first time will prove a huge help in picking up an old project.
3) Revisit/Make Character Sketches
Character sketches are another writing tool I’ve pointed to time and time again. Writing a character sketch simply involves writing a little biography of each of your main characters. You start with how old they are, their occupation if they have one, and other facts that make the character unique. I’m a visual reader, so I tend to start out with what the character looks like and how they dress.
You can also attempt literally sketching your characters. Don’t worry if you’re not a great artist. I’m certainly not, and attempting to draw the faces of my characters has given me a great deal of insight into their typical expressions and what makes them tick. Creating both kinds of character sketches can be a great way to dive back into working on an old project.
4) Write an Outline
Writing an outline is something you usually do before you write the book, and I highly recommend doing so. If you haven’t, it’s never too late to start, and picking up an old WIP is a fantastic opportunity to write one. Of course, you’ll have events that have already been written, but you can just include those in the outline along with other scenes you haven’t written yet.
An outline can act as a map to help you through the uncertain terrain of getting back to work on an old project. It will give you a sense of confidence to know where your story is headed next. And it’s okay if you’re not totally sure where the plot will go—your outline can be as vague or as detailed as you want. I wrote this post about my personal outlining process that may help you get started, and my co-blogger Heather has this wonderful post that includes many helpful outline templates.
5) Take Another Break
Now that you’ve gotten back to work, you probably feel like the last thing you should do is take another break. But I believe that the writing process shouldn’t be a straight line, always moving forward. Instead, you should be able to sit back and take a break, since the resulting distance you get from your story is invaluable. It’s also good for your mental health to take breaks every now and then.
So, once you’ve steeped yourself in your WIP and become reacquainted with its flaws and weaknesses, give yourself some time for all that work to marinate before continuing onward. The break doesn’t have to be long—maybe only a few weeks. But it will give you a chance to think everything over. You don’t have to be consciously thinking about your story, either. While you do things you enjoy like taking walks, playing guitar, or working on chores around the house, your mind will unconsciously be attacking the problems you found in your book and coming up with solutions.
I know it can be hard to pick up an old project. You may think it’s not worth saving or feel daunted by the amount of work involved. But you’d be surprised how much promise you might find if you delve back into one of your old stories. With a bit of polishing, you could have something really beautiful on your hands.
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