Celebrating Wins
Winning in writing, to me, feels a bit like a cool drink on a hot day. It’s the small achievements, the quiet successes, that pull me through when I think I’m struggling. I used to tell myself that I was allowed to buy an icecream when I finished a draft: a really nice one. One of the chocolate-covered, caramel inside jobs. Other than that: no icecream.
As a motivation, it was pretty successful for a while! Apparently I’m driven to finish something when there is a reward at the end. But there are more things in writing than just finishing a draft.
It took me a while to recognise those achievements, and to stop and take the time to pat myself on the back about them. For a long time the drive was about rushing toward the next thing, the next milestone, or picking up another item and forgetting all about the first. I almost forgot about celebrating those little things.
Remember also to tell other people those accomplishments, and allow them to pat you on the back for them as well. For a while I didn’t share these things, and the win would slide on by, ignored by all except myself, and I would get frustrated wondering why I was wading through the river alone.
Of course, it turns out, if you let people know you’re walking in a river, they’ll be there for you, either offering encouragement or a helping hand if you need it.
Wins I’ve celebrated:
- Finishing my first round of edits
- Successfully ending a villain in an unexpected way
- Figuring out the next way forward in a plot where I’d gotten stuck for several months
- Rescuing a character from bleeding to death in a dungeon
- Smashing out several chapters’ worth of writing in a week
- Selling my first book
- Getting good views on a TikTok video that I wasn’t expecting
- Getting lovely reviews on my books
Not everything you can sing praises about to others and know they’ll understand. But I’ve found it is important to include your friends and family into the discussion, even if they don’t really know what you’re talking about, they’ll still raise a glass and clink to your success.
Come and join us on the Write Direction Facebook Group and we can celebrate together!
