This is a guest post by Steph Auteri.
How many of you are wearing slippers right now? Let me get a show of hands. How many of you rolled out of bed at 9 a.m. or later? How many of you are nursing your first cup of coffee, torn between writing that blog post, playing Spider Solitaire, or seeing what’s on the DVR queue? (Me.)
When I first started freelancing full-time, I struggled with my motivation levels. I wore fuzzy, Cookie Monster pajama pants 24/7. I watched all-day America’s Next Top Model marathons and, when it came to a decision between Spider Solitaire and work, the card game won every time.
Five years later, I have a much better grip on things. After going through a period in which I never stopped working, I’ve settled into something that looks a lot like success, coupled with a healthy work/life balance. What was missing before? Accountability.
My motivation and accountability come from my writing partner, who sends me threatening emails every week. But there are so many ways to find that same sense of accountability. So where can you go to ensure that your writing goals are met, thanks to a mix of motivation, camaraderie, and abject fear?
1. Month-Long Writer Participation Events
Fiction writers have NaNoWriMo, during which they can go all in on that large project they’ve been daydreaming about for eons, a built-in support network (and hard-core accountability) just an email or dedicated forum away. For bloggers, there’s NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. (Both are in November.) Or there’s Michelle Rafter’s annual WordCount Blogathon, in May. And those are just the more well-known ones. You can search for blog carnivals within your specific niche at this handy-dandy online directory.
2. Professional Organizations
Once upon a time, I was a member of Freelance Success (FLX). One of my highest periods of productivity ever was during their twice-a-year Query Challenge. Participants were split into teams and pitted against each other, earning points through queries and LOIs, and through the assignments that resulted from them. Team members had to report their points once a week, and team rankings were sent out in the weekly e-newsletter.
There’s nothing like some healthy competition (and the fear of letting your teammates down) to make you sweat. Of course, you could also find accountability on the member forums of a variety of professional organizations. I list the benefits of membership in ASJA, EFA, NWU, and others over here.
3. High-Stakes Writing Applications
There are several sites and applications that target your writing productivity, and that can be used year-round. 750 Words is one such resource. It’s a site on which users aim to write at least 750 words a day and, for their troubles, receive points for their progress, and stats about what they’ve written.
Or there’s Write or Die, for those who work best under pressure. It tracks your writing and, if you pause for too long, you either a) receive a gentle reminder pop-up, telling you to stop being such a goddamn slacker (gentle mode), b) are subjected to an “unpleasant sound” that only ceases if you continue writing (n
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