I have used the phrase "picking up the thread" for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure where I got it from. I strongly suspect that the stories about the Greek Fates or Moirai influenced this.
What I mean when I use that phrase is that I am trying to start back up with a story that I had left sitting for a period of time. We have all done it. For some reason we had to walk away from a story and now we want to get back to it. Depending on how long it has been and how we are feeling about the project, going back to it can be hard, and you can't just abandon it. Well, you can, but if every writer did that when it became hard, we wouldn't have any books to enjoy.
I usually try to pick up the thread by rereading what I have written. If that doesn't work, I either go back to what inspired the story in the first place and see if that helps. I also try and find music to help me get back into that mindset. If that doesn't help, I have one of two choices. The first is walking away from the story some more. It might not be time for focus on it yet. The other that I really hate doing and have only done it to one story and that it gutting it and revamping it. Yes, it is as painful as it sounds because you have to undo all the work you put in. The process isn't pretty. In the end it's about writing a story and sending it out into the world for others to enjoy. Writing is hard. If anyone tells you differently, they either never tried or are selling you something.
What are some of the things you do to pick up the thread? Let me know.
What I mean when I use that phrase is that I am trying to start back up with a story that I had left sitting for a period of time. We have all done it. For some reason we had to walk away from a story and now we want to get back to it. Depending on how long it has been and how we are feeling about the project, going back to it can be hard, and you can't just abandon it. Well, you can, but if every writer did that when it became hard, we wouldn't have any books to enjoy.
I usually try to pick up the thread by rereading what I have written. If that doesn't work, I either go back to what inspired the story in the first place and see if that helps. I also try and find music to help me get back into that mindset. If that doesn't help, I have one of two choices. The first is walking away from the story some more. It might not be time for focus on it yet. The other that I really hate doing and have only done it to one story and that it gutting it and revamping it. Yes, it is as painful as it sounds because you have to undo all the work you put in. The process isn't pretty. In the end it's about writing a story and sending it out into the world for others to enjoy. Writing is hard. If anyone tells you differently, they either never tried or are selling you something.
What are some of the things you do to pick up the thread? Let me know.
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