Monday, August 26, 2013

Accomplishments

How do you label an accomplishment? There are the obvious ones: Score a great agent, get a book deal, etc. But there are also smaller milestones. We have to celebrate them all (preferably with chocolate). Of course you already know how amazing it is if you finish writing a book. Not everyone can or has done that (it just feels that way because we all congregate together LOL). 

Since I had my wonderful little angel just over a year ago I've had to rearrange my "hours" a bit. But I didn't stress too much over it because I KNEW I had to write. That I wasn't giving it up. It's so much a part of me that I wouldn't be a whole person without it, and she deserves a whole mom. 

Obviously though I couldn't do the full time thing anymore. X hours of reading, writing, and social media. Something had to give. But how did I decide? And when did I fit it in? 

Sometimes I don't, plain and simple. Sometimes I have to postpone my goal. But I try to make those daily goals small enough that they aren't impossible, that I can make them up fairly quickly if I have to, and most of all that I feel that I've truly accomplished something. 

It can be as small as writing this blog post. Let me give you some more examples of smaller things you can do and count it as a win (some have to do with where you are of course):

  • query an agent you've been researching
  • submit to a small publisher
  • write a thousand words (or some other specific goal in line with your own process).
  • revise a chapter
  • do a critique
  • reply to all your blog comments
All of these things deserve a pat on the back. And the more you do that? The better you feel about your writer self. The only downside? You might end up eating too much chocolate. 

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for reminding me to celebrate those smaller accomplishments I do all the time even if I don't have time to write.

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  2. So true. We sometimes get caught up in the big goals, we lose sight of the good things we do accomplish. Thanks for the reminder :)

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  3. That's how I feel about my summer goals when my kids are home. I get up and write in the morning before they get up and sometimes that's it. Because I set my goals small, I usually achieved them. Writing with a young baby or toddler is hard! They need you. This time goes by so fast. Cherish it - as I'm sure you are!

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  4. Priorities! Yes! Family always comes first. Writing is a passion for all of us, for sure, but real life goes on as well.

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  5. Umm, eating too much chocolate is a downside? Whaaaaaaaa?

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  6. Glad to see you're still on track, Lisa! Great schedule and super good priorities.

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