1. It’s on your own terms. If writing is something you want to do, no one can stop you from doing it. If you want to choose to invite writing back into your life, you can. You are in control.
2. You’ve had your time to reflect, to rest, to figure out why you needed to set your writing aside, forgive yourself, and accept that it’s OK to start again. If you want to.
3. Life feels empty, even lonely when you aren’t writing. When you are, you feel alive in a way you simply don’t at any other point.
4. You’re feeling inspired to tell a story you can’t get out of your head. What do you have to lose?
5. You’re feeling the pull to create something from nothing. While it doesn’t have to be writing, words are powerful, even when you’re the only one who ends up seeing them.
6. Stories have the ability to change people, to change lives, even to change the world. If you choose to be a part of that, the opportunity is always open to you. Always.
7. You don’t have to make it your job. You don’t have to do it full-time, or “be known” for it. It’s OK to just write, for no reason other than it suits you.
8. In a time of mental and emotional struggle, writing is one of the most effective ways of coping with the pain other people can’t see.
9. You never know what you might discover — about yourself, about the world — when you get lost in a story that’s begging to be written.
10. You are a writer. There’s no questioning that. No matter how you fit it into your life, it belongs there. It is a part of you. It always has been. It always will be.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.
Meg Dowell Writes 