A lovely love story: Back in the days when she was a young up-and-coming actress, Helen Hayes met a young man at a party. He was Charles MacArthur, an aspiring playwright and screenwriter. Like many writers just starting his career, Charles had enthusiasm, but mostly empty pockets. This encounter turned out to be love at first sight for both Helen and Charles. That evening, Charles gave Helen a handful of peanuts and said, “I wish these were emeralds.”*

Some 25 years later, still happily married, Charles took Helen back to the same place where they’d first met. While they were enjoying the evening, he handed her a package. She opened it up. Nestled inside was a lovely emerald necklace. Helen gazed at it for a moment and then said, “I wish they were peanuts.”

What a revealing comment! After all they’d been through together, Helen longed to relive those joyous, heady days of love when she and Charles first met—the days when everything and anything was possible. They days when love was fresh and new.

Have you ever felt that way not just about life, but about your writing? Once you’ve reached a certain point, do you wish you could go back in time and recapture the excitement of pouring something from your head and heart onto the page and seeing it for the first time? It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?

While we can rewrite the past, I’ve found a few simple ways to help me reignite my enthusiasm for a project—maybe they can help you, too:

Play around: I find if I loosen up and let go of all my plans and intentions for a while and just play around with ideas, something new often crops up and helps me see the project with fresh eyes.

Revisit earlier drafts: I always keep early drafts of my work on my computer and in files, just in case! reviewing these sometimes sparks an appreciation for how far I’ve come and gives me fresh energy to keep going. I’ve also found nuggets that I passed by in later drafts that may trigger new ideas.

Ask your characters for help: If a character in a current draft feels a bit flat and underdeveloped, sometimes I’ll start a dialogue with him or her. I’m often surprised and energized by what pops up!

Take a detour: If I need a fresh shot of adrenalin, I’ve found that taking a detour—say, coming up with a new subplot—can help. I may not use what I come up with in my final draft, but this sometimes helps me see mu current text from a different angle.

Reigniting enthusiasm can be challenging! If you have any techniques for bringing fresh energy to a long-term project, I’d love to share them as we all write on!

*This wonderful story comes to us by way of Dr. Rob Gilbert’s fabulous Success Hotline (973-743-4690).

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