No more messages about France, except we are looking for a helper the week of May 17-24, and if a mom wanted to come as a participant, that would be stupendous.
Instead, I’m going to start an alphabetical listing of Ways to Persevere. Weekly, I’ll post ways to keep the writing going. It might be difficult when I get to X, but I’m not going to let it stop me from starting. But I will start with one of the most important ones: Accountability.
A is for Accountability.
We all need accountability when persevering in our writing. Or, at least I find I do. Heck, I need accountability when it comes to writing my newsletter, keeping up with social media posts, and all that other jazz that we are supposed to be doing to be published authors.
I recently started an accountability group. It helps to have someone to be accountable to. When I try to be accountable to myself, I am so good at coming up with excuses and lies about why I can’t sit at my desk at the appointed time. I’m clearly co-dependent with my procrastination.
After my Aspendell retreat, the women who attended and I decided to continue meeting weekly to be accountable to each other. We list our goals for the next week, or beyond. Then, we report in on what we accomplished the next time we meet. We often have excuses, and sometimes when it’s to do’s like, “nudge the agent who is reading my pages” we do it just before we walk out the door to the group meeting, but I find I get most of the things on my list done. And if it’s as a last minute safe-face action, it still works. Or, it goes on the list again for the next week. Last week, I even wrote as two of my goals, 1. Finish proposal, 2. Don’t berate yourself for not getting proposal done. I kept putting “Finish proposal” on my list, and then I’d feel awful I didn’t get it done. But I was working on it, it just wasn’t at the stage I wanted it to be, so it helps to have others who at least acknowledge I’m not completely avoiding all the things I have to do.
It takes us about an hour to go over our accomplishments, and what we didn’t get done, and what we see as our next goals listed. (We write all of this down each week so we can look back and remember. We are middle-aged, after all.) We meet for 2 hours and the second hour we write from prompts.
When I leave the meeting each week, I feel accomplished, whether it’s because I finished some or most things from my list, or because I wrote a new scene for the novel I’m working on, or both.
This week this is my list:
Read. Finish reading the books for panels I’m moderating the next two months. Reading is part of writing, after all.
Don’t feel bad that kitchen renovation is stealing time from writing. You’ll get the time back eventually.
Write 5x this week.
Number 3 may not happen 5x because the tile guys keep knocking on my door, but hopefully, #2 will happen to take care of that awful feeling of not doing what I said I’d do.
Accountability. It’s about being kind while taking the steps to give yourself the gift of reaching your dream. As corny as that sounds, and it sure sounds corny after I wrote it, it’s true. Corny is often kinder.
Let me know your tricks for accountability. I’d love to share them. Or use them.
This is a photo of my four-year-old granddaughter who I took out for a mani/pedi and then tea instead of finishing my proposal. Sometimes the excuses are worth it.
Having a buddy group, or even one buddy, can be helpful and the time spent is special, yes?
I look forward to your alphabet... I'm sure it will be intriguing!
I'm a big list writer. Yesterday, I managed all that was on my list. Most days there is a carry over of at least one item. I no longer berate myself for that. The real world happens despite my list!
Tea time is a great reason to miss one listed item...Mimi is getting so big! Just adorable 😍
Oh I need an accountability group. This is such a good place to start with the A through Z of writing and the writing life. I'll look forward to your alphabetical counsel and advice as we move through the rest. And did you know that the ampersand was, at one time, the 27th letter of the alphabet. Will you include it? There's always an "&..."