Reflect, Reset, Begin Again: A Summer Writing Check-In

Every year in January, I tell myself the same thing: This year will be different. I will be focused, disciplined, and wildly productive. I will know exactly what I want to write, how to write it, and I will do so without second-guessing every word or wandering off-course.

And every July, I open whatever notebook or computer file I used to capture those intentions and laugh, or sometimes cringe, at the naivety of the me I was six months ago.

The start of the summer season seems built for reflection. With the rush of spring behind us and the demands of fall still far ahead, the summer stretches out like an open invitation, asking: What kind of writing life do you want to build for yourself now? Not the one you imagined in the chilled new year of January, but the one that fits who you are today, in the heat and spaciousness of summer.

This year, I promised myself I’d finish a full draft of my new novel by July. I’d even mapped out a timeline: how many words per week and hours per day. Admittedly, it was ambitious, but surely not impossible. I wanted it badly enough to believe I could do it.

But, of course, life—actual, ordinary life—came along with other plans for me, my time, and my writing life. I spent more hours working than expected. I started a new book coaching course. I got sick, twice. I traveled across two oceans, twice. Somewhere in the middle of all that, my novel began changing shape beneath my pen. The story I thought I was writing wasn’t the story the characters wanted to tell. My characters stopped taking my directions, new voices emerged, and entire plotlines unraveled. I found myself, once again, moving more slowly than I’d planned. By mid-April it was pretty clear, I was not going to have a completed draft by July.

At first, I felt like a failure. I was supposed to be drafting, not over thinking, rethinking and questioning everything. I was supposed to be accumulating pages, not rewriting my outline. I allowed myself a few weeks to wallow and mourn my creative goal. When I returned to my draft, I realized I was making progress, even if it was different than my expectations. Pausing, questioning, listening to the story aren’t signs of stalling; they’re signs of engagement.

So, here I am at the halfway point of the year, with fewer pages than I imagined, but also with a deeper understanding of the novel I’m actually writing—not the one I thought I should be writing in January.

I invite you to take a moment to reflect, and consider the creative intentions you set for the year compared to where you are in your writing journey right now. Maybe you’re in a similar place as me. Maybe the year surprised you. Maybe the project you intended to finish got eclipsed by a new one. Maybe you hit a wall, burned out, or took a break. Maybe life intervened in ways that writing advice books never quite seem to account for.

If so, you’re not behind. You’re exactly where you are, exactly where you should be.

Now, let’s release the guilt of all we didn’t accomplish yet, and recognize we still have so much time! The calendar may say we’re halfway through 2025, but the long days of summer offer space to step back, reassess, and listen to what your writing life needs now.

While I’m no longer a student or a teacher, the summer still holds this odd sense of new beginning for me. It could be due to the longer days, or the old muscle memory of summer breaks. Every July, I feel that familiar rush of possibility, energy and time. I tell myself, “This is the season where I’ll make great creative progress!” But I’ve also learned that if I’m not intentional, a season with so much potential can quickly slip away. Without a conscious reset, it can turn into what I call a “lost summer,” one where my creativity wilts instead of blooms.

To avoid this, in July, I do a creative check-in, where I reflect, reset, and prepare to begin my summer with new intentions. This mid-year creative check-in is not a way to judge myself, but a way to explore: my writing, my process, and the reality of my life right now. I ask myself:

• What writing goal did I set in January? Did I meet this goal?
• What surprised me about my process this year?
• What am I most proud of, even if it wasn’t part of my original plan?
• What am I ready to let go of?
• What do I want the second half of 2025 to feel like, creatively?

These questions aren’t about hitting quotas or setting new goals that I’ll have to feel guilty about not meeting in December. They’re about reconnecting with my reasons for writing, and connecting to the version of my work that’s trying to emerge.

Here’s one thing I’ve learned (again and again): Progress isn’t always about word count or reaching “The End.” Sometimes, progress looks like a single clarifying decision. Sometimes it looks like throwing out fifty pages. Sometimes it looks like showing up to the page even when you’re unsure what will happen next. Sometimes it looks like taking a break, then starting over.

So, if your year hasn’t gone according to plan, welcome! You’re not alone. Maybe summer offers you a little more space and time to be creative, or maybe it’s your busiest time of year, either way, now is a perfect time for a creative check-in. Use it to listen, regroup, and begin again. Remember, it’s not just about your writing; it’s also about the writer you’re becoming.

Summer Writing Check-In Toolkit

However your year has unfolded so far, this can be a moment of gentle recalibration. If that sounds good to you, here’s a simple Summer Writing Check-In Toolkit. It offers you some prompts and ideas to help you reflect, reset, and move forward with intention.

Step One: Reflection Prompt—Take Stock & Reset

• Before you race ahead into summer writing goals, take a moment to honestly check in on your year so far:
• What writing goal did you set (formally or informally) back in January?
• What have you actually accomplished so far? What surprises or shifts have shaped your progress?
• What has helped or hindered your progress the most? What is within your control to change?
• What are you ready to let go of or revise moving forward?
• What feels realistic and meaningful to commit to for the summer months ahead?
• How do you want your writing life to feel this summer—on the page and off?

Remember, if you’re not halfway through your yearly goals, you are not behind. Life mixed with creative work often doesn’t follow a perfect timeline. Give your creative self the grace it needs, let go of the past, and focus on where you want to go from here.

If it feels good to you, use the answer to these questions to update your creative goals and intentions for the summer and/or remainder of the year.

Step Two: Summer Reading for Inspiration

Reflection often sparks new questions. Sometimes the best way to explore them is through someone else’s words and experiences. Each summer, I like to reread an old favorite, and discover something a new one. Here’s what I’m reading to support this season of reflection and growth:

This year, I’m revisiting one of the books that always helps me reconnect with the heart of writing: Bird by Birdby Anne Lamott. No matter how many times I’ve read it, Lamott’s humor, honesty, and gentle wisdom about the writing life never fail to remind me why I do this work. Her words ground me in my process, by reminding me to approach my work one sentence and one moment at a time.

I’m also committed to reading something new to fuel this season’s reset. On my list this year is The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad. Based on reviews, this book promises to blend creativity and reflection in ways that feel perfectly suited to the creative mood I’m trying to set this summer. I’m looking forward to seeing what fresh insights it offers.

If you’re looking to build your own summer reading stack, here are a few more books I often recommend for creative reflection and reset:

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo
• 1,000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
• The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest

Step Three: Writing Practice for a Creative Reset

Alongside reflection and reading, I find it helps to adjust how I’m approaching the writing process itself, even small shifts can make a big difference. Because reflection works best when it leads to action, I’m keeping a few simple writing practices in mind to help me move with purpose this summer. Here’s one I’m using right now:

At the start of each week, I jot down onewriting intention for the week. It’s often not a specific goal or word count, it’s an intention I set for my creative week. It helps me focus without the pressure of needing to “catch up.”

Here are few examples of a weekly intention:

• Stay close to the voice of this new character.
• Research the setting of my novel.
• Focus on how to closeout subplot B.

Here are a few other reset-friendly practices you may want to try:

• Create a new summer writing playlist that aligns with the project you’re working on.
• Reorganize the draft files on your computer to clear and organize mental space.
• Revisit an old notebook or ideas file to find a spark you’re now ready to explore.
• Set aside a certain amount of time each week to devote to creative exploration that is not writing.

No matter how you check in this season, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to reset with kindness, and offer grace to your creative self. There’s plenty of year left to write the stories you are meant to tell.