Hi everyone, new here. Last year I started my third novel and everything was going great, I had scenes flowing out of my fingertips, I knew every characters motivation and was thinking up new scenes every night. However I went back to university a few months after I first started writing and with all the stresses and strains I stopped writing all together for about four months (my inspiration went completely out the window as well, as I had no room in my mind for anything but stress!) and then in January when I had some time to myself again I tried to get back into my novel, however I'm finding it hard, I seem to have forgotten all my characters traits and motivations and my scenes are becoming very mechanical and without focus. I really don't want to give up on this book, so can anybody help?

I've had the same experience Mafuane, and I'm not sure what to suggest other than reading through the earlier chapters in the hope it'll re-ignite your interest. I've found sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't; there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it's because the creative part of the brain is thinking 'I've done that already, why am I being forced to do it again?' Mechanically putting it down on the page can be boring, but maybe you need to get past the point in the story you were thinking up to when you stopped, and then the old feelings of creativity and newness will return.


- NaomiM

Write a "working" synopsis; everything that happens in the order it happens. Write it for yourself so you don't need to care about how it reads just put everything down that matters to you. If all goes according to plan you will either rediscover that spark or realise what you want to fix.

Or, at least, that works for me more often than it fails...



G

I once had to leave a book of mine for nine months while I wrote a different novel for my editor. When I cam back to it, it did take a while. But I just re-read and re-read the part l'd written (about 30-40k as I recall) until it cam back. Don't panic, I'd say - and don't hurry it. let the characters come back to you when they're ready. Believe me - they are still there somewhere - still alive on your subconscious.

Good luck!

Rosy

Thanks everyone very much, your insights have been very helpful, just as you said RT104 as I write some more scenes they are beginning to come back to me and as NMott said once I got past a few scenes the inspiration returned. Also i'm certainly going to take up your advice Gaius and do a synopsis, that sounds like a really good idea.

Thanks!

I recommend reading the novellists you love, to gain some inspiration from them. I seem to go back to Rebecca time and again, as I love du Maurier's style. Also books on writing, which may give you ideas as to how to get back in. There are threads on writing books on this site. Good luck!

Try doing some writing 'around' the book - scenes or character sketches or descriptions that don't have to go into the actual novel, just to re-ignite your sense of the world you're creating.