so you want to start writing again || lessons I learned getting back into writing after a long break

Рет қаралды 5,735

Күн бұрын

Hello there, welcome back to the writing nook! Recently I've been reflecting a lot on my writing journey (or lack thereof) and wanted to chat with you all about how I got back into writing after a 6 year break and all the lessons I learned (read: all the advice I'd give my past self). So if you're wondering how to start writing again or if you've ever taken a break from writing (for any length of time), let me know what you think!
T E L L M E A B O U T Y O U
Have you ever taken a break from writing or had a writing slump? How did you get back into writing afterwards (if you have yet)? Are you CURRENTLY on a break and considering coming back? Ever struggle with any of the pitfalls I mentioned, and if so, what's your advice?
L I N K S
Kate Cavanaugh's video on her Authortube survey (highly recommend!): • OVER 1000 WRITERS ANSW...
A B O U T M E
Hi! I’m Danica, and I’ll be posting content about my writing/reading/living and documenting my journey as a writer on this authortube / writertube / creatortube channel. Look for writing vlogs, reading/writing challenges, learn-with-me investigations into story craft, and book reviews.
🌟instagram: @the_page_mage
#authortube #writingafterabreak

Пікірлер: 60

@jujubadetrigo Жыл бұрын

My break hasn't been an absolute break, I have tried to write things here and there but it just never feels like it used to when I was writing a lot. I found this video while trying to motivate myself to start writing again.

@mheawrites3347 3 жыл бұрын

YES. when I first started writing again it was like 'wow! where are all the ideas??' I couldn't think of anything! it really made me not want to write. but luckily writing prompts on Pinterest kicked me up the butt! even if I was only writing random scenes. another wonderful video!

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

haha I'm so glad I'm not alone!! I genuinely thought maybe I'm just not cut out for this anymore, no one else seems to feel this way?! and so true, writing prompts are an *excellent* way to snap out of a creative funk haha thanks, friend!!

@goodmanticore 3 жыл бұрын

I just found your channel today and have spent this afternoon binging your videos. I'm loving the tips and how open you are about your journey! I don't think it's the longest break I've taken, but it's definitely been the hardest. I've been taking a writing "break" since last November. My grandpa, who was my biggest cheerleader, got very sick, and passed away in January so I haven't really let myself write. But I got the sudden urge to write, edit, etc. so I'm hoping I can get back into it this weekend. A handful of friends said they'd join me for sprints which I believe will be extra helpful.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

hi there, it's great to have you here!! :) I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa. it's so difficult to be creative after something like that, but I'm glad to hear you're starting to feel like creating again now. I hope it's going great for you so far!!

@dewberry150 2 жыл бұрын

The power of avatar. I felt that inspiration

@boone4436 3 жыл бұрын

So glad I found this! It's so relatable! It was 8 years for me because school/work took all of my time. Im also notorious for over brainstorming lol I'm so glad you got back into it and decided to join authortube!

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

IKR?! I feel like school/busy-ness is such a big reason to stop writing. so glad you started back up too!! so glad to have your support and word sprint synergy ❤️

@FaithPrinceAuthor 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad that you returned to writing and I can't wait to read your book! Thanks for this video...we all go through slumps and I found this very inspirational.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

thanks, faith!! definitely! writing is such an up and down journey, and it's great to climb back out :)

@deborahjoy3994 2 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray 😭😭😭😭😭 you just spoke to me...

@deborahjoy3994 2 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray this story is exactly what happened to me. I took a six years break. Who is Rymo that you mentioned that helped you break out of the writing ice

@deborahjoy3994 2 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray I need help do much. I'm so scared writing again. Also exactly what you said. I sometimes feel my creativity is frozen. I feel like I wrote Better in high school. I saw many of my novels in high school and I was so amazed..I felt like crying that I've lost my writing genius totally. I need help and maybe accountability

@koda24225 Жыл бұрын

Literally the same timeline as me…I got burned out in junior year of high school, and now I’m 7 years later wanting to get back into writing because college took over my life

@chaaaargh 2 жыл бұрын

The weird thing for me is that it doesn't feel like I was ever on hiatus, even though I was, and partially still am. I stopped writing consistently back in 2017/2018, that was middle school, now i'm graduating high school and it feels like life sucked all my passions away lol. your point about being more profilic in writing when you were still a kid was so spot on haha. ever since i've been off and on with writing, mostly brainstorming and writing things down, worldbuilding, etc. still no actual writing unless it's random snippets of stuff as an attempt to get me out of this rut and never ending cycle of brainstorming. your reason for writing is similar to mine, love that. I've always been inspired by the shows and books I read/watched when I was little, and even now, I want to capture that feeling so that others could feel the wonder I felt experiencing those stories. I'm gonna try to get back into consistently writing (and reading too, at that) anyway i'm so sorry for the rant, just wanted to say i appreciate this video and your tips, wishing you luck on your endeavors!

@AutumnAshleigh 3 жыл бұрын

Wow Danica! You hit the nail on the head with this video. I have experienced everything you talked about. This community is truly amazing, and we are all very supportive! Great video 😊

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

thank you, autumn!! when I made this video I was honestly a little worried no one would know what I was talking about, but it's really heartwarming to know I definitely wasn't alone. love this community, for sure :) thank you for watching!

@jess-beauty.books.blackbel2033 3 жыл бұрын

ATLA is * *chef’s kiss* * amazing. And sometimes a break is good, even from things that you love. I think a lot of your advice is transferable to a lot of things in life. I took a long break from martial arts and all the advice you are giving absolutely applied to me at that time. And… this advice is great for new writers too. Write terrible stories. Write all the terrible stories. Eventually, they will stop being terrible. Oxoxox.

@worldof_chaos6080 2 жыл бұрын

Hey! Its been almost three months since i stopped writing. I don't know what exactly was wrong. Seemed like writing wasn't for me or I'm just not good. But after watching your video now i know how to start writing again thank you ❤️

@oleksandrastasiuk167 2 жыл бұрын

this video is exactly what I needed!!! thank you so much♥️

@janishajacobs4329 3 жыл бұрын

I really love these lessons/tips, thanks for sharing.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

so glad you liked them, hope they're helpful!! 💕

@janishajacobs4329 3 жыл бұрын

I love the way you did this video! The colour, the candle, the words across the screen (I have no idea what to call those lol) and the honesty! I feel like we've had almost identical writing lives.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

thank you!! ❤️I loved the maroon color of the slides so much haha oh really, that's so cool!! did you take a pretty long break from writing after you were younger?

@morgan8489 2 жыл бұрын

I needed this so much!! Great points and so very relatable! 💕

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

yay I’m so glad!! 💕

@Lucy31315 Жыл бұрын

This is very similar to my experience with writing. I stopped about 7 years ago, and every time I tried to start up again I just couldn’t stand to look at what I had written (poorly). Luckily, I have a RIDICULOUS amount of ideas and inspiration, so I’m okay on that front, for me it’s really just starting again. I don’t think I can write without enjoying it, so I hope letting myself be bad and setting small goals will really help me get back in the habit.

@memyselfphysics9778 3 жыл бұрын

When I've been little, I used to write a lot but I always felt like what was on paper did not match what I had imagined it to be. Now, like 15 years later, I think I found the reason: it is the language, my German mother tongue. I just don't like writing in German 🙈 I even read books in German and think to myself: that would sound so much better if it was written in English... So, by now I started again, this time in English, and violà, it finally feels (and also sounds, at least in my head) right ✨💋 thank you for your inspiration that comes across in each of your videos ♥️

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

wow, that is so cool!! I'm always so impressed that you are so proficient in multiple languages, and it's so cool you can choose the best one to be creative through. ❤️ I definitely never made it far enough in German to give it an honest try at creative writing 😂 how I hope the writing in english is going well!!

@memyselfphysics9778 3 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray never mind that;) I bet dour creative writing in English is just doing fine (and probably an understatement;)) and tbh, I guess learning English is definitely easier than learning German 😉 (there is a lot of mean stuff going on in our tongue, I know that just too well 🙈)

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

true!! tho english definitely also has its quirks & difficulties 😂 but glad it's going well!

@AnjolaoluwaAwe 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

hope it helped!!

@deathspadewilliams2374 2 жыл бұрын

I had stopped writing around 18 years old and I'm 27 now wanting to come back to it I've been battling against my inner self for fear of not being good enough or having ideas myself this video really helped thank you

@celina7084 2 жыл бұрын

I needed this today! Thank you For making this and sharing your story hun🥰💛

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

I’m so glad, celina!! best of luck with your creative endeavors 💕

@celina7084 2 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray thank you😁❤

@boringoddmanreads6321 2 жыл бұрын

15 years I've been on break. I'm just getting back into it now, and I feel like I have no ideas. So hopefully as I get started again, the ideas will come.

@outsidersfan4life 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad I found your channel! :D I want to get back into writing as well. When I write, I like to find and insert pictures from the internet to insert into my story to show what something looks like and I was wondering what your opinion was on that. I only do that if I'm writing something for my friends or even for myself.

@melaniecoetzee6234 2 жыл бұрын

After a break up, some health issues and a new relationship, I stopped writing as much as I used to. I would go months without doing anything, complete a chapter then, repeat. I would like to develop a routine again. Try and break the funk of the long periods of no writing. Similar to you, I have questioned my ideas. But what's gotten me the most is the struggles I orginally overcame when I first started writing, are back. My biggest issue, was conveying emotion. When there is a bone structure, its not as hard but when you need to write the bone structure it becomes horrible. I can't find the words to be good. And I definitely think I made the mistake, like you said, and compared myself to how it use to be.

@marcosandoval6175 2 жыл бұрын

thanks for your vid

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

of course!! thanks for watching!!

@kaylughmanda 3 жыл бұрын

that's great advice! i've never taken a break that long but there were a few years there in college where I definitely wasn't working on any original works and when i started to dip my toe back in this advice would have been super helpful

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

yes! I feel like I needed a guidebook when I decided to jump back into writing - I was pretty lost in the sauce haha and that's kind of why I stumbled into authortube in the first place, so we're pretty much full circle now with this video

@kaylughmanda 3 жыл бұрын

@@DanicaGray yes! make the content you want to see in the world

@emilypaigewilson8437 3 жыл бұрын

Pleasure reading is so important to my writing, too. So many people have told me how "Avatar: The Last Airbender" has beautiful storytelling--I need to check it out!

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

Yes! I feel like my writing is so much better when I'm actively reading. Plus, it's interesting to see how my writing style shifts slightly depending on what kinds of books I'm reading the most right then! Avatar is such a wonderful story! I'll admit part of my love is definitely nostalgia induced, but I stand by it as being the best storycraft I've ever seen in a full TV series :) 1000% recommend!

@janishajacobs4329 3 жыл бұрын

Random thought: That lamp in the background takes me back to my childhood... hurricane season and just random days when we didn't have electricity, that lamp was the most fun addition to our "in the dark" ghost stories.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

oooh I love that!! it's funny how little items can hold so many memories like that haha I really do still love the bead tassels - they're so fun!!

@MrVlandus 3 жыл бұрын

Taking long breaks can help.i have taken one from making videos, and Writing. It was about a three or four months. I am excited to get back into it.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

that's so true - sometimes you just need a break to recharge and start fresh again. good luck getting back into it!!

@elle5137 2 жыл бұрын

i really enjoyed this video!! im currently having a break from writing, focusing on my national exams ^-^

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

thank you!! good luck with your exams!! 🙏

@TheImperfectReader Жыл бұрын

I have this box from my earlier writing days. I just want to move on. Do I keep the work or get rid of or scan and just get rid of the physical.

@JoelCrumbleyAuthor 2 ай бұрын

You have a hilarious vibe lol

@remingtonruger 6 ай бұрын

I haven't written in over 25 years recently been trying to write again its been torture... I seem to have lost my ability to write well...

@gabrielle424 3 жыл бұрын

I faced the same problem with ideas, I thought I lost my imagination.

@DanicaGray 3 жыл бұрын

yeah! it was almost kinda scary - I was genuinely worried I might not be able to be creative anymore... good thing that wasn't true *whew* 🙏

@lewessays 2 жыл бұрын

I burned everything I wrote when I was 14 😂😂

@DanicaGray 2 жыл бұрын

HAHA omg wise choice... but think of all the laughs you're missing 😂