Trouble starting new novel

I'm there now. I'm using NaNoWriMo as my excuse for not starting my next one. I am doing a lot of research for it though.

When I was here before, I read a fiction writing "How-to" book. That got my engine started.

That happens to me, too. When I finish a project, I find that I really miss my characters and can't get into the new ones' heads. I think it just takes time. It's sort of like separation anxiety in a two-year-old - it's hellish to go through and involves a lot of crying, but at some point you just gotta say goodbye.

Although once you get an agent, you'll be coming back (so saying good bye isn't permanent)!

If you can't just plow ahead until the new novel starts to click, take 2-6 weeks off during which you do other writing-related things, like market research, book research, or short story/play/screenplay/poetry writing while also taking the time to have some fun. Recharge the batteries, and as you feel the urge to return to the new novel, play hard to get for a bit, until it's ready to pounce on you.

I usually read until the writing bug bites me again. My brain needs times to unwind and rejuvinate after finishing a novel. Filling it with other stories reminds me why I love to write so much.

Reading sounds good. But you might try taking one character from the new book and develop them. Just work on some of the cool parts for them. I think once you love the new MC you will start to fall into your new work.