I pushed SEND on the rewrites for my fifth novel, Almost Like Being in Love, five days ago. During the month that I tore my manuscript apart, I came close to crashing Track Changes in Word — but when you are rewriting well over sixty percent of your story, that’s no surprise.

And let me clarify: the big rewrite was my suggestion, not my editor’s.

Something else occured during my month of rewrites: I crashed.

And by “crash,” I mean that I got to the point where I could not write. I wondered why I ever wanted to write this story … and I knew I would not be able to finish this story. It wasn’t just a matter of losing hours … I lost several much-needed days of writing time.

The much-loved author Elisabeth Elliot puts it this way:

“Sometimes a task we have begun takes on seemingly crushing size, and we wonder whatever gave us the notion that we could accomplish it.” 

How did I recover from my “writer’s crash” so that I could meet my deadline and send my manuscript off to my editor?

1.  I remembered that I’ve crashed before — and survived. Reality is, I’ve suffered a writer’s crash with every novel and novella I’ve written. For me — and most other writers I know — getting to the “I can’t do this” point is part of the creative process.
2. I regrouped spiritually. If you don’t know who God says you are then you will not survive this crazy walk along the writing road. When I crash while I’m on deadline — start doubting myself — I  anchor myself to who God says I am and who He says He will be in my life. I get back in the Word and I listen to praise and worship music.
3. I called for help. It helps to talk with other people when you crash, although the tendency is to withdraw. I connected with three specific people this time who helped me recover:
   1. One of my mentors, Rachel Hauck — I have Rachel on speed dial — and I am thankful for that. She knows my stories, and she’s been there for me every time when I’ve crashed in the past. She knows how to talk me through the writer’s trauma, reminding  me that I’ve turned in every manuscript I’ve started. She also reminded me to stop worrying about how my just-released novel is doing and to just have fun with the story I’m writing.
   2. My writing buddy, Mary — Mary lives one street over from me. She came and helped me hash out my story one more time and see if I was missing anything. The Ds. The Black Moment. The Epiphany. Note: When you crash, your story gets all snarled. You have to untangle it.
   3. My non-writing friend Shari  — Shari reminded me that even on deadline, I need to eat. We met for lunch — a very specific “this much time and no more” lunch, where I relaxed and we talked about life and laughed — when I went back to writing I felt like myself again.

What about you? How do you recover from writer’s crash?