I havn't written in a long time and I'm mad at myself for it. I've always wanted to write a novel but never really had enough time to up until now. The only problem is, now my writing is terrible and I'm not sure how to start back up again.

I've been writing for a long time but what are some ways to get back in the groove of things again?

I suggest that you enter the story and poetry contests this forum has going. It's fun and who knows...? You might win! yours in Chaos, Scarlett

Hmmm, I'll look into them. And when i say i havn't written in a long time, it's been like months =(

Practice. Sitting down for 15 minutes, writing a "blurb" then working on making it into what you picture as perfection. You don't have to share it with anyone, and if you have any questions/concerns - we are here and the there numerous resources online. Competition isn't honestly always the answer to bettering yourself. Just gives you feature.

I'll try!

The reason I joined this forum in the first place was for the contests; I saw that they have at least two going at any given time, and I was like, "Oh hell yeah!"

I used not to be able to write poetry at all. I could read and appreciate the poetry of others, but when I would try to write it myself it was just awful.

Then I belonged for awhile to a forum (not a writing forum, it was for something else) where they had several poetry challenges and games--like for example the one where you write a poem about a topic that the last person to post suggested. At first I just glossed right over those, but then when I started trying to do that, it really helped a lot.

If you I to sit and think of something to write, sometimes the ideas won't come. However, if I try to think of something to write within a certain set of guidelines, and with a topic suggested by another person, suddenly I start thinking of all kinds of things, and I can easily write something. It may not be really great, but at least you'll be writing.

It's kinda the same as practicing your guitar by yourself, and practicing stuff that a teacher gave you to learn. If you practice by yourself all the time, you can fall into a rut, right? It can actually stifle your creativity over time. But if you work on pieces and techniques assigned by another person, you expand your repertoire, your knowledge base, and your technique. ;)

Just be careful of the opposite effect and not being able to write without someone's ideas or push in the form of "prompt". Contests, though fun, shouldn't be the main basis of practice, generally speaking.

I do a lot of day dreaming. I end up loving my day dream so much I have to write it down. I day dream a chapter before I type anything.

The writing itself can't be terrible if you don't write anything. That shouldn't encourage you to nurse a blank page, though, if/when you want to write. So, my advice: let yourself write badly. People can't write well again, let alone better than before, if they don't.

Maybe start outside your comfort zone, if that helps the mindset of "I expect to improve" instead of "I expect something awful, or not as good as it used to be or could have been." Journaling is supposed to keep us in constant practice. If you're primarily a prose writer, maybe try breaking the ice with poetry or stageplay. At least it gets the ball rolling, at most it exercises description, word economy, and dialogue dynamics, all of which should help your prose. Hope this helps!

Try a contest or something like NaNoWriMo: write 50,000 words in one month, but you don't have to pay anything for it, and if you can't reach 50K in one month, noone is going to punish you, but you'll have written something along the way.

Buy yourself a dictaphone (or cheap alternative, a notepad) and take it everywhere with you. When something moves you, or you get an idea for something you could write, record what you're feeling or thinking. Start writing or typing up what you've recorded. It's a really good way to get back into writing or get round writer's block.