One of my writer friends recently said that our North Star has to be the work. The actual process of creating is what makes us feel good so it makes sense to always come back to that. Regardless of that, sometimes it is hard because life gets in the way. It is those times that I remind myself of a quote attributed to Confucius: “It does not matter how slow you go as long as you keep moving forward”.
How do we keep our work moving forward so that we can get those good creative feelings? In previous posts I have touched on a few ways — planning, character profiles, inspiration, writing every day. What ties those together is to set achievable writing goals with a writing buddy. Rather than enforcing the goals, your buddy will encourage you and celebrate what you actually do, and vice versa.
Why is this a successful strategy? Writing may seem like a individual endeavour, but it is actually a team sport. Without first readers and editors, it is impossible to do your best work. And those first readers and editors cannot comment on a blank page, or an unrevised manuscript. Enlisting others, whether a writing buddy, writing group or other mentor during the writing process gives you a reason to get back to the work.
Not sure where to get a writing buddy? This month is the 20th annual National Novel Writing Month, so why not start here: https://www.nanowrimo.org