Group writing is awesome. It’s a great way to ease yourself back in—plus it’s fun.

Dare to be bad! I love it. And the thing is, when we give ourselves permission to be bad, most of the time things turn out a lot better than we expect. I get that kind of paralysis when I’m facing a key scene and I’m worried it won’t come out perfect the first time (which is a joke: it never does). I just tell myself to write anything, doesn’t matter. It works for me.

Oh, I’m so pleased! I hope the suggestions work for you. Good luck!

Yes, I think that was Hemingway’s trick. I often leave notes for myself wherever I stop, so that when I next pick up the manuscript I’m not facing a bunch of white space.

That’s a great strategy! Anything that gets us thinking about craft again can be a way in. Thanks for the tip.

I used to write/revise daily–even on vacation–before realizing I needed to take a break and enjoy every second with my family. Getting back into it, especially after being away for a week or so, was often challenging. Group writing was a huge help for me–especially when doing Word Wars with friends. I love a good challenge so much, it overcomes any fear I have of plunging back into a project.