If you and writing are long-time friends who can’t find the time to get together anymore, below are seven tips on how to rekindle your love for writing.

I publicly declared my love for writing in 1998.  I can remember telling my coworker, Robin, that I was planning to write my first book.  Although I always wanted to write a book, I never told anyone.  But I felt safe sharing my dream with Robin, who would eventually become one of my dearest friends and biggest cheerleaders.

It took 20 years for my dream to come true.  Yes, you read that right, 20! While I don’t remember all of the reasons it took so long, I know that I fell in and out of love with writing so many times I lost count.

Sometimes writing and I met regularly.  At first, we found time to get together early every morning.  Sometimes we met late at night while everyone in the house was asleep.  Throughout the day, we would look for opportunities to steal a few minutes together here or there.  When we tried to meet on long flights, we were interrupted by curious seatmates or tempted with the latest movies.  The times we thought we could get together on the train quickly faded as my attention moved to something else.  Because we found it so hard to find time for each other, we grew apart.

Does this sound familiar?  Don’t worry.  If this is the year you finally finish writing something that’s been rolling around in your head for a while, it’s never too late to rekindle your love for writing.

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Find Your Writing Blockers

The writer’s block, where writers feel a creative slowdown that prevents them from writing, is shared within the writing community.  However, when talking to writers, I find that external forces outside the brain can block the creative writing flow. I call them writing blockers. Every writer must come to terms with the potential blockers that keep them from writing.  I did a little experiment to identify my writing blockers. Every time I started to write but stopped after a few minutes, I noticed I got up to walk across the room or to go upstairs.  Since I used to work in an office that offered standing desks, I realized that’s what was missing in my home office.  To fix the problem, I got an adjustable standing desk converter to put on top of a table.

Other tools I use to deal with writing blockers include:

Noise-canceling headphones.  I was given the Bose QuietComfort headphones as a gift, which I love because they offer such a rich sound while reducing distractions.  But there are lots of great headphones on the market.

Calm. While I originally downloaded the Calm app to help me sleep better, I found the music to focus on while writing.

Find out what prevents you from writing.  Is your writing environment loud, uncomfortable, or distracting?  Within five minutes of your writing time, are you interrupted by something?  Are you too tired to write?  Once you find your writing blockers, deal with them quickly, or they will rob you of your precious writing time.

Start Small

As you rekindle your love for writing, don’t try to tackle too much at one time.  Take small steps to keep going.  Dr. Robert Maurer, the author of, One Small Step Can Change Your Life, believes we only need to take small steps to correct a problem.  For example, to start writing again, commit to writing one sentence or paragraph per day for seven days.  Once you reach your goal, increase the number to two sentences or two paragraphs.  Whether you take big steps or small steps is up to you.  The idea is to start with something small enough for you to handle and keep going.

Exercise Your Brain

When I want to rekindle my love for writing, I turn to my next love:  reading.  I love to read books, newspapers, and magazines to get new ideas for blog posts, articles, or future books.  I use brainstorming as a way to explore new ideas.  For example, while reading an article in one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, I brainstormed on the idea of becoming a more organized writer.  As you read, jot down ideas that make good writing topics.

Write Your Way Free

Whether it’s been a while since you wrote anything or you write every day, freewriting is a good way to begin every writing session.  During a freewriting session, you set a timer for a certain amount of time, like 5, 10, or 15 minutes.  Once the timer goes off, give yourself a 5 or 10-minute break.  When I write for 45 minutes, I take a 15-minute break.  During a freewriting session, you can write about a specific topic or use a writing prompt.  As you write, don’t worry about editing, grammar, or punctuation.  From start to finish, write, and don’t stop.

Renew Your Vow to Write

If you are serious about starting a new relationship with writing, then it’s time to renew your vow.  Start by asking yourself questions like:

• On which days can I write?
• How long do I have time to write during each session?
• Where will I sit/stand to write this week?

Do you need to forsake your family or give up your favorite hobby?  Absolutely not. In making a new vow to your writing, you also get to decide how you will manage your other relationships and interests.  If you are serious about being faithful to your writing, protect your new commitment.

Give Yourself Permission to Take a Break

As a writer, I had to understand that sometimes I may need to take a break from writing.  During a recent break from writing my second book, I read Bryan Hutchinson’s book, Serious Writers Never Quit:  They Find The Way.  Full of insights and tips on writing, I found the boost I needed to get back to writing my book.  The most satisfying part of the book is in Chapter 11 when Hutchinson wrote, “Everything you’ve done or not done up to this point no longer matters.  Let it all go.” I love that!  For weeks I felt behind schedule and disappointed in my writing progress. But no more.  I let those feelings go immediately. Bryan’s book inspired me to start writing my book again, and a review on the book for my blog.

Don’t Overthink It

It’s time to start writing again but don’t overthink it.  Whether you write for one hour or one minute is entirely up to you.  Blow the dust off your unfinished manuscript, poem, short story or whatever you were working on.  Just start where you are and keep going.  And if you stray again, apologize to your writing and start again.