How writers re-build momentum after a stop-start year...

kaz07899
Jan 5
2 min read

If your writing year has felt more like stop, start, sigh, repeat ... you’re in very good company.

Life happens. Work explodes. Confidence wobbles. Projects stall. And suddenly, months pass where your writing exists mainly as a guilty thought rather than something you actively do.

Here’s the reassuring truth: a stop-start year doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a writer. It means you’re human.

Momentum isn’t something you either have or don’t have, it’s something you absolutely can rebuild.

1. Drop the “I should be further along” narrative

Nothing kills momentum faster than shame. Telling yourself you should have finished by now doesn’t make you write, it makes you avoid the work altogether.

Instead, shift the focus from where you thought you’d be to what you can do next. Momentum starts with the next small action, not a dramatic comeback.

2. Shrink the task until it feels almost too easy

Rebuilding momentum works best when the goal feels achievable. Ten minutes. One paragraph. A single scene. A rough outline.

Small, consistent wins rebuild trust with yourself, and that trust is what keeps you coming back.

3. Separate identity from output

You are still a writer even if you didn’t write much last year. Writing less doesn’t cancel your identity, it just pauses the habit.

When writers stop seeing themselves as “someone who writes”, restarting feels monumental. When you protect the identity, the habit follows.

4. Reconnect with why you’re writing

Momentum isn’t fuelled by discipline alone, it’s fuelled by meaning. Why does this book matter to you? Who is it for? What do you want it to do in the world?

That clarity makes it easier to sit down when motivation is low.

5. Don’t rebuild alone

Writers regain momentum faster when they’re supported. Community, accountability, and gentle encouragement turn “I’ll start again soon” into actual progress.