Being an author is a lot of work, and it is important to celebrate the successes in your writing journey to encourage yourself to keep going, to feel accomplishment, to increase motivation, and to give yourself a break from all that work. Here are some suggestions to help keep you happily on the writing path.
What to Celebrate?
There are many milestones you could celebrate in your writing journey, such as
- reaching your word count or task goal for the day
- getting in a solid block of writing in a day
- meeting a fantastic editor who makes your writing shine
- finishing another read-through of your book, resulting in an even more polished product
- finishing your first book draft
- publishing a book, independently or with a publisher
- getting a publishing deal with a publisher
- getting 10 reviews on a retailer like Amazon
- writing and sending your first author newsletter
- getting 10 (or 100 or 1,000, depending on where you are in your journey) new subscribers to your newsletter
- receiving an email from a fan telling you how much they liked your book and even how it changed their life
- being asked to speak somewhere
- your book being nominated for an award
- your book winning an award
- getting a movie deal for your book
- reading a book that gives you insight into your own writing or sparks inspiration for another book
- getting paid for the first time for selling your book
- selling 1,000 copies of your book (or a 100 or 500, depending on previous sales)
- making $100 in book sales
How to Celebrate?
Celebrating these milestones can be something as small as doing a dance to something as big as going on a trip. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate the successes on your writing journey:
- do a dance
- say “Whoohoo!” (Try it!)
- laugh loudly
- tell yourself that you are awesome and talented
- tell someone else about your success
- eat a piece of chocolate
- eat your favorite dessert
- eat a piece of fancy cheese
- listen to a favorite song (bonus: sing along to it!)
- go out to eat with friends or family
- read a chapter from a book
- watch half an hour of TV
- buy yourself something you’ve been wanting to buy
- go on a walk
- do something you find fun
- buy a trinket related to the milestone you reached
- frame a printed spread from your book or the cover of your book
What successes have you had on your writing journey, and how did you celebrate them? Let us know in the comments below!
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