Fellow Writers: What is the longest you have gone between writing projects?

[Mike03]

To phrase it another way, how long have you taken a break from writing, but were able to plunge back into it without any kind of problem?

[Rising Phoenix]

1. years

wish me luck on Wedesday.....

[Redstone]

2. Usually three to four years. But I'm not recommending that kind of hiatus to anyone;

it's just the amount of time it takes me to decompress and look at new ideas.

Your mileage may vary, and probably will.

Redstone

[Mike03]

4. It's been about two years for me.

But that is really unusual for me. I've never had this kind of apathy about writing before. But maybe it is political and also due to the pathetic, pitiable state of the publishing industry.

Thanks for your opinion, though. It makes me feel a bit better than I felt before.

[Redstone]

6. You can't be ready until you're ready. That's just the nature of writing.

If you try to force it, you'll just crank out crap. Which, if you're Tom Clancy, you might be able to get away with, but if you're not Tom Clancy, it could kill your career.

Redstone

[hisownpetard]

5. Me, too. A couple years.

[DarkTirade]

3. Years.

And I still haven't gotten back to it. :\

[Wheezy]

7. without a problem?

I dunno. Six months?

With writer's block, 18 months, obviously not by choice. Worst time of my life.

[reyd reid reed]

8. I haven't written anything at all

in at least six months. Not since July.

I used to write nearly every day.

I'm kind of afraid to pick back up, but deep down, I know I've got to. I've been in a serious funk and it's been getting worse and I'm wondering if not writing is contributing to it.

[Mike03]

14. I used to write every day too. It was a compulsion, and something I loved.

But the last two years the desire has just abandoned me. It worries me. Writing has always been my whole life, since I was about twelve yeard old.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Forever. I write when I am manic, and that doesn't happen often (Or rather I should say

my fixation during my mania doesn't always focus on my writing projects.)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

10. Couple of months.

[BlueIris]

11. I've gone years between major efforts. But while I try to write *something* every day,

I disagree with writers who insist that you have to write every day or even all that often to produce quality work. I hate that attitude, actually. I don't think it's useful to write every day if what you're writing isn't very good. It's important to recharge your "creativity" batteries every once in a while and it's hard to do that if you're pushing yourself to extremes on a daily basis, or making yourself feel guilty for not being endlessly productive.

If you're having trouble getting into writing after a long hiatus, I recommend Jane Ann Staw's "Unblocked: A Supportive and Practical Guide to Working Through Writer's Block." Changed my life.

[enigmatic]

12. It's been about 6 years since I wrote any prose or poetry

And I used to be a pretty serious writer for most of my life. If it comes, it comes; I'm not too worried about it.

[steelemagnolia]

13. Two years.....but I've been writing consistently since.... eom