What’s A Writing “Win”?
I love picking up words of wisdom from other writers. Recently my friend Abby and I were talking about getting the job done.
“Motivation leads to motivation,” she said.
Her words were like a bolt of brilliance striking my brain. So true! We need something to start us off, a win of some sort to motivate us to keep going. And with one win, we’re buoyed for the next, and the next, and the next.
Only, in the writing life, we often think our first win has to be publication. That’s much too distant, though, and given how much of publishing is out of the author’s control, much too tenuous.
Instead, we need to reframe our definition of wins. Start small—a win is still a win, and so are the motivating effects. Maybe it’s a win for you if you write 10 minutes a day. Maybe it’s a win for you if you finish two pages by the end of the week. Maybe it’s a win for you if you proofread one chapter of your otherwise-completed manuscript. Maybe it’s a win if you get one query letter sent out.
Since writing is hard and can be isolating, we need all the wins we can get to keep us motivated. That is in our control.
So, for the win, make them yours.