How to Write When You Don't Feel Like It by Rachel Jendrzejewski
PART 5. ACCOUNTABILITY
“It's in the act of having to do things that you don't want to that you learn something about moving past the self. Past the ego.” -bell hooks
I’m in a season where I’m thinking a lot about making and keeping promises to myself; but sometimes there’s nothing like knowing you’ve made a promise beyond yourself that gets you to move something forward, right? I think accountability is an important aspect of writing, but I want to stress that it can look different from person to person and practice to practice. For example, I post my Ten Year Project writings on social media daily to keep myself accountable to actually doing the writing. On the other hand, I never publicly share the writing that comes out of my every-other-Sunday writing group; but knowing that I have to hit send on an email to my three fellow writers is enough to keep me showing up to the task. If you deal with anxiety, know and own that certain kinds of external accountability may be genuinely unhelpful for you. Raised stakes can be useful, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be important, but you also don’t need to hurt yourself. You get to decide what kind of accountability makes sense for you and your process at any given moment.
Some other examples of what accountability can look like:
- Public events, like readings or performances. Remember, they can take all forms. They can happen at theaters, in parks and garages, or on Zoom. You can invite the masses and presenters, or you can arrange for small invite-only gathering of close friends and family. Or anything in-between.
- I’m a big fan of writing groups, which likewise take all forms. They might meet weekly or monthly or just a few times a year. They might be informal, happening around someone’s dining room table, or they might be housed in a professional context. Maybe everyone shares a little something at each meeting, or maybe you have a rotation where 1-2 people share longer works. Or maybe you don’t share writing with each other at all, but rather you get together and just literally write.
- Remember the conversation about collaboration earlier? Another benefit is accountability—you have to show up to the work for each other’s sake.
- Application deadlines can be useful: competitions, grad school, project development and presentation opportunities, etc. I know, I know – so stressful for a lot of people, but some find them truly motivating!
- Accountability actually doesn’t need to involve other people. You could have a ritual at home where, say, when you write, you cross off that day on the calendar. You can post pages on the walls of your home or studio, so that you are reminded that you’re doing it and get inspired to do more. You can do something nice for yourself every time you write, an incentive to look forward to—a cup of tea, a walk in the sun. There are also numerous websites and programs that give you virtual badges and awards or make satisfying sound effects when you hit certain word counts or other milestones—I don’t use them, but I know some people who swear by them.
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Happy Writing! OK, so this is the part where, in class, I would open up the room for discussion and questions. In lieu of that, I’ll just say that you are welcome to contact me at rachel@rachelka.com with any thoughts or questions—I’d love to hear if anything in this document proves useful for you, or if you have found other great strategies that you feel inclined to share. Be safe out there, be kind to yourself, and best of luck ♥