Priscilla Kint

Tip 10: Celebrate

The final tip! This is cause for celebration – and I mean that literally, becauses the 10th tip for creating a daily writing routine is:

“Celebrate your accomplishments.”

A challenge like the Daily 30 doesn’t have a designated end goal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look back with pride at every step!

The New Normal vs. Celebration

The goal of a daily habit is to have the task become second nature. Writing every day should feel as natural as brushing your teeth in the morning. However, it’s quite easy for that sense of normalcy to trick you into thinking that your streak is unimpressive. It’s just an everyday thing, after all.

Our brains are wired to thrive on routine, while also regularly craving something new or other in order to feel accomplished. This has caused me to slip into the trap of taking a working writing routine for granted.

But no matter how we twist or turn it, we’re writing every day! That’s an accomplishment! To make sure you keep that in mind, you’ve got to acknowledge it and celebrate how far you’ve come.

Yearly Traditions

Every year on the 19th of January – the day I first started the Daily 30 back in 2015 – I’ve been celebrating in my own way. Whether that’s baking a red velvet cake (to the joy of my family), screaming about it on social media, or looking back on all the projects I’ve created and worked on that year (even if it’s just the one!) – I’ve done it all.

For my 8th year, I bought myself a bracelet that I still wear now: a small physical reminder that the Daily 30 has really become a part of my life. And all due to my own hard work and determination.

Most recently, to celebrate the 10th year, I threw an actual party! My friends and I all dressed up as our favourite characters from books, we ate red velvet cake (which has become a yearly Daily 30-streak tradition), and we played writing-related games. It was the best time!

But even a yearly celebration is quite sparse for this kind of thing, don’t you think?

Every Day a Victory

Especially at the start of a daily journey, you’ll want to celebrate every milestone. Wrote for a week? Take yourself out for a nice cup of tea! Wrote for a month? Maybe you’ll finally allow yourself to buy that book you’ve been eyeing for a while now.

Heck, get yourself an extra cookie from the jar after finishing that very first day – or treat yourself by playing your favourite song after the first ten minutes! Creating a habit like this is all about positively reinforcing yourself. Find small ways to go wild!

Click Here for a Quick Tip!

Having a celebration sheet alongside a fellow writer friend can help keep you accountable while also ensuring you celebrate your accomplishments. Decide in advance which rewards you’ll get for which goals: think a Spotify playlist for your WIP curated by your friend once you reach 40K words, going out for dinner after three months of writing, etc.

Take the Compliment

It’s also important to let others celebrate you in the smallest ways. I’ve noticed myself responding shyly and almost negatively whenever friends, acquaintances, or family compliment me on keeping up a habit. I’ll say things like, “Well, it’s not that impressive” or “No biggie, anyone could do it” and brush it off.

And the thing is, yes, there are countless people out there who could do the same thing, but they don’t. We choose this time to dedicate to something we love. We keep going.

Even if you miss a day, or firmly believe you’ve just written the absolute worst words you’ve ever seen in your life (I doubt it), you’re still going. So, take that compliment. Be proud.

Writing Prompt: Defining Success

Success looks different to everyone. One person’s success could be another’s downfall – and the same goes for your characters!

Here’s this week’s writing prompt, in case you’re looking for inspiration:

“I’m on top of the world!”

Create a situation in which one of your characters utters these exact words.

Always a Reason for a Party

With a daily writing habit, every day is progress. Of course, it sounds epic to throw a party once you’ve hit the 10 year mark (and believe me, it is), but that doesn’t mean that all those days leading up to that don’t deserve their own celebrations.

A single page written, two days of writing back-to-back – if you keep it up, it will soon pile up into bigger and bigger results. Every good book has to be written one word at a time, so why not see that as something positive instead of a giant mountain to climb?

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Check back soon for the final conclusion!

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