You’re a writer. You need to invest in yourself. We’ve been through details of self-identification and committing time and money to the craft over the past couple of months.
Now, we need to talk about holding yourself
accountable to someone else. This overlaps somewhat with critique groups and
with monetary expenditures, whether they be paying for a conference or a
course.
You have several options in accountability
to others.
1. You can find an official accountability partner.
This could be another writer, a friend, a spouse, or a family member. Unlike a critique partner where you send work as it happens to be ready for a review, your accountability partner is expecting work on an assigned basis. The two of you agree ahead of time what you will send and when. It’s your job to make sure you keep your word. Very helpful for getting words on the page, reminding you once again you ARE a writer! You can also connect daily via phone, text, or email just to report in on what got done that day.
2. Similar to an accountability partner, simply add an accountability component to your critique group.
Currently, I participate in three critique groups. Here’s how each of them work, but only one is also an accountability group.
A. My weekly group chooses two writers to send in their work for critique. So, only two of eight people are accountable for their writing that week. The rest are accountable to read and critique the two submissions.
B. My monthly group will critique any work that happens to be sent in. There’s no accountability other than to read and critique what’s submitted. This is my least favorite format because some evenings we have one item to evaluate; other evenings there have been as many as eight. That’s a lot of in-a-hurry critiquing! And it makes for a long meeting.
C. The third group has a scheduled rotation, so two submit for one meeting, the third person submits to the next, then back to the first two, and so on. This format works as both a critique group and an accountability group. I like it. I finished my third book because I was forced to submit new chapters every two weeks.
Don’t feel like you have to participate in three groups! In my case, A, B, and C were formed in chronological order (A being the oldest), and once I made writer friends in one group, I didn’t want to drop them for friends in Group B only to move on to Group C. My (overzealous) sense of loyalty won’t allow me to burn my bridges, not even for the advantage of fewer time commitments.
3. Schedule time to work with a writing partner.
That doesn’t mean you’re both working on the same project. It just means you’re working side by side at the local coffee shop, or you’re screen-box-visible to each other on a Zoom meeting.
I discovered Shut Up and Write just before the pandemic hit. A small group met at Starbucks. We chatted for five minutes getting to know each other’s names and what we wrote, and then it was time to live up to the name of our meeting. We wrote in silence. At the end of an hour, some individuals left. Others took a break and talked writer stuff for ten more minutes before getting back to work for an additional hour. Once the shutdown was instituted and restaurants closed, we kept our meetings going online. Now, we do both—if we have the time. And since I’m retired from full time work, I do have time. Saturday mornings in person, Wednesday nights on Zoom.
When I write at home, all kinds of things can derail me. Dirty dishes in the sink. Switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Oh, look! A baby elephant video on Facebook! By deciding to meet at a certain time to write, your accountability partner(s) are aware if you’re no longer tapping away on your keyboard. (Okay, I confess I sometimes turn off the camera and mic for a few minutes in order to complete an after-dinner chore …).
Other Possibilities.
Many of the ideas I’ve shared with you all year have come from Jessica Conoley’s article, “Building Your Writing Support Triangle.” At the end of the post, she talks about the co-working sessions she runs and offers to help any readers who want to try those out. If you’re interested, check out the article.
Meanwhile, Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) will be here in thirteen days. That’s an opportunity for worldwide accountability partners! You’re committing to an average of 1667 words per day, which amounts to a 50,000-word novel before midnight on November 30!
If you’re interested in trying your hand at that, visit their website and sign up. You’ll receive lots of pep talks, you’re welcome to join various threads of discussion to cheer each other on, and you may find at the end of the month you’re well on your way to finishing your next book!
If you’re an author, isn’t that what accountability is all about?
Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.
Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.
A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to eight, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!
Where Linda can be found on the web:
www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan
www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan
