Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

It happens—sometimes you just lose your love for writing. Like all relationships, there are exhilarating highs and plunging lows.

Maybe you’ve bravely faced off a monthslong slew of rejections but the last one finally broke you.

Maybe you can’t seem to create momentum—you start and then stop, start and then stop, and then wonder if you should just stop altogether.

Maybe you’re focusing on numbers instead of words: the number of views on your website; the number of comments on your essay; the number of ratings on your Goodreads page.

Whatever the source of your change of heart, here are some ways to rekindle the flame and fall back in love with writing.

Embrace writing as a hobby

Most advice suggests treating writing like a job, as if calling it a hobby diminishes the seriousness of your craft. But weighing down your writing with ‘have to’ language can feel negative. Work is something you have to do that’s often associated with drudgery; hobbies are things you choose to do that are associated with fulfillment.

Using ‘have to’ language can also inflate the importance of your writing so much it becomes paralyzing. For example, ditch the phrase ‘I have to write because writing is like breathing.’ Ditch the idea that being a writer is your whole identity. No wonder your muse is afraid to show up; who needs that kind of pressure?!

Instead of claiming that you have no choice, embrace how empowering it is to choose writing.

Make a schedule and show up

Treat your writing as a hobby but make it a habit. Create a schedule and then show up. It doesn’t have to be every day; in fact, maybe it shouldn’t. I’ve found my own personal sweet spot when drafting is four days a week. On the fifth day I’ll type up a summary of what I wrote and spend a few hours planning the week ahead.

Taking a short break gives your creative mind space to breathe, process, and most importantly, build anticipation. You’ll soon find you cannot wait for that next drafting day, and you won’t be as tempted to skip days because you only get four of them—plenty of time to move your story forward but not enough time to burn out.

Keep your writing sessions short (an hour or two), keep them consistent, and stick with your schedule.

Start early

The moment you start consuming, your creativity becomes compromised. It is crucial to begin the day with your own writing.

This does not mean you have to roll out of bed and immediately grab a pen and notebook. I get up, make my coffee, go for a thirty minute walk, shower, eat breakfast, and then I write. What I don’t do is check email, listen to anything (including music), turn on a TV, or read someone else’s words. No news articles, no inspirational writing blogs, no books. No one’s words get to come before mine.

To accomplish this, you have to resist checking your phone in the morning. It may be hard at first, but it’s worth it. Years ago I set my iPhone to downtime from 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. Everything is blocked save for actual phone calls, text messages, alarms, and the weather app (I have to know how to dress for my walks!).

Save that perfect, clear-headed, optimistic morning mind for your art; don’t let any clutter in. Start each day this way. Create before you consume.

Practice gratitude

It really is the little things that make the biggest difference, so celebrate them. Take a moment at the end of the day to recognize one good thing.

Some recent examples for me are: picking lemons off the tree in the late morning sunshine; chocolate peppermint tea; making coffee cake with Gabe. None of these have much to do directly with writing, yet acknowledging them helps promote mindfulness and observation—important skills for writers.

Committing moments to the page that may otherwise be lost reinforces daily the benefits of writing things down. The trick is you only get to pick one per day. This not only makes it easier to keep up the habit, but it sharpens another critical writing skill that we don’t talk about nearly enough—the art of brevity.

Be yourself

Writers talk a lot about finding their voice, as if it’s an elusive piece of magic waiting to be discovered. But it’s just you. You already have a voice, and although you may not be able to hear it, others will. Trust that it’s there and stop looking for it, or you’re likely to sound self-conscious and inauthentic.

You know how your truest self appears when you’re not focused on how you’re acting, like when you’re with your best friend or your kids? But around others sometimes you focus so hard on how to act you start acting … awkward? It’s the same with your voice, even when writing fiction.

Think of your favorite novelists—for me Simone St. James and Tana French come to mind. Their books are filled with distinctive characters, yet I always know I’m reading a Tana French or Simone St. James book because every page is stamped with the writer’s unique voice. Your pages will be too. Just be you.

Creative self-expression is the sweetest gift. Treat your gift like the treasure it is, and you’ll find yourself falling in love all over again.