Writing in November: Have I Forgotten How to Write?

I have to remember. I’ve done this before.

Sometimes, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to write.

There’s a moment in every writing project, usually around the 15k to 20k word mark, where I feel like I’ve forgotten how to write. It’s a strange, almost surreal feeling—like I've stepped away from the words for too long and now, as I look at the page, I have no idea how to get back into it.

It’s also a little terrifying.

This awful feeling creeps in most often when I’m working on something with a deadline looming or a project that demands consistency, like my current holiday novella. It’s a fun project, one I’m excited about, but I’ve hit that inevitable point where the initial thrill of true excitement has just started to wane a bit, and the reality of how much work is left starts to feel a little suffocating.

The end of this love story feels both close and impossibly far away. I’ve already jumped around scenes, writing out the fun moments, the emotional beats where I can hear the characters talking to me right now and must be captured, and the conflict that will carry the story to its climax.

But now I’m in that murky middle ground, trying to weave everything together into something cohesive. The further I get into the book, the more I feel like I’ve lost my way (whether or not that is actually true or just my over-dramatic brain getting in the way).

At this point in any project, the task ahead becomes so daunting that I start questioning everything: Am I doing this right? Does this make sense? Will I even finish this thing?

It feels like I’ve forgotten how to write, like I’m back at square one, trying to figure out how to put one word after the other.

But I have to remember. I’ve done this before.

I’ve done this 8 times—no, more times than that.

So I must do it again. I have so many stories to write after all.

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