A new notebook and a fresh start

It's been a crazy week of challenges all around, which have distracted me more than usual. And, on this rainy day in coastal North Carolina, I glance over at my three-ring notebook, which sits patiently near my desk.
A writer buying yet another new notebook, you probably are thinking, what's the big deal? (I'm sure that's what my husband was thinking!)
My binder has now become a catalyst for my work and a revision tool.
In the past week, one of my distractions has been re-entry into the revision world of my adult novel. The ideas for edits and expansions have been flying so fast and furious, I took about two days out of my regular writing work to compile drafts and notes and folders into one space. To clear out the clutter of previous empty drafts.
I needed something to catch all the words my brain was firing off: blank paper in my new notebook.
It's not a particularly fancy notebook, but it is a big moment for this novel. My pages love the security they are feeling, snug in this new notebook and close at hand.
My novel's first round of drafts were completed in 2003. I sent out queries by the the truckload. The second round took place in 2006. Then I lost steam and didn't even feel passionate enough to query. My characters stopped speaking to me and it appeared that this would be my the novel you hear about. You know, the one that ends up tucked away in a desk drawer, lost in the darkness.
But now I have renewed hope that this novel will be different and its energy will carry me through into the querying process...and beyond.

Any writing projects you've put aside? What did it take to regain your energy to finish it? Are you still trying to find the energy? What is one thing you can do to continue the work?


A creativity coach, Elizabeth King Humphrey contributes to AOL's ParentDish and blogs at The Write Elizabeth, delving into creativity in everyday places.