Essays on Writing Craft and Mindset
by Maggie Frank-Hsu
Writing Accountability (without the shame)
How do I do what I say I’m going to do? Without: beating myself up for missing a goal, comparing myself to other people who seem to be “on track”, quitting… again
How do I do what I say I’m going to do? Without:
beating myself up for missing a goal
comparing myself to other people who seem to be “on track”
quitting… again
Accountability without shame is not just a “nice” thing or a way to love ourselves–though it is those things. It’s also a way to make it easier to succeed. Because the quickest way for me to decide to quit on a goal is to set an unrealistic expectation and then beat myself up when I don’t meet it.
Unrealistic expectations, for me, are either:
going from never doing something (say, writing) to vowing to do it every day, or
going from doing something every day (like, say, drinking coffee) to saying I’ll not drink it all.
It is so very easy to fail at a goal like this. So, what is the alternative?
Writing accountability without shame. Setting reasonable goals. Maybe sometimes not meeting them! And then, when we don’t meet them, adjusting them to make them even easier to meet.
Accountability without shame is our practice in Time to Write. In fact, one of the main reasons I started Time to Write is to foster accountability without shame in myself, and in you, too.
What is Time to Write?
Time to Write is a free, weekly writing accountability group.
I want you to come because you’ll get one hour per week of focused writing time, but also because I will, too!
Time to Write happens every Wednesday on Zoom, but you don’t need to join the Zoom every week. Set a sustainable schedule for yourself. If you do, you will be amazed at what we can produce when we agree, together, that we will focus and be present with our writing in the same (virtual) room for one hour.
We will all get so much more done than any of us can do on our own.
If you’re nodding along, or even if you’re skeptical but curious
Click this link to join Time to Write.
Time to Write is and will always be free,
as long as you stay subscribed to my email list. Time to Write is a space for you and me to get writing done, every week.
Come with a work in progress, or come with no idea of what to write about! (Each week I will provide an optional writing prompt that you can use to get yourself started.)
When you sign up for free writing accountability, you will receive a follow-up email with the Zoom info.