You started your novel, or memoir and life got busy, so you put it away. And out of sight tends to mean out of mind.

But, guess what? It's never too late to re-start that novel. The world deserves to hear your story.

If you struggle to begin writing again, find out what's holding you back. Lack of time? Creative juices not flowing as they should? Need to see your therapist before you begin again? Figure it out.

Don't fret. Picking up your novel doesn't mean you have to start over. You don't have to re-create the entire thing from scratch.

You can take baby steps. We all love baby steps, right?

Start by "refreshing" your story. Spruce up your characters, tighten your dialogues, but don't be hard on yourself. You don't have to stick to a word count right away. Start by reading the first few pages and digest them.

Are those pages good? Can you build from there, or is there something that doesn't feel or sound right?

If it's the latter, make notes in the margin and keep reading. After you've finished the first few pages, put it away and revisit it the next day.

The key is consistency, not word count or merciless editing. Consistency is how you will finish your book.

If you are waiting for inspiration, bring a blanket. It will be a while.

Instead of waiting for the illusory inspiration, write instead. If you find that you aren't "inspired" to write your story, write about what you are going to write about. It's like a guidebook for your book.

If you keep this up, you will be writing your book again before you know it.

Trust your instincts and trust your ideas. They are there for a reason, and they may be raw now, but they can be refined.

Pick that book up and dust it off.

Good luck, friends.