Wednesday, March 7, 2018

6 Ways to Celebrate Writing Milestones

This month's question posed to the writing community by The Insecure Writer's Support Group, is How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal or finish a story? A while ago I wrote an article for the group's website covering the 4 Reasons to Celebrate Your Writing Milestones. Today I will be talking about the ways.

1. A Special Beverage.
I have been known to crack open a bottle of champagne after finishing a novel's first draft. There is something momentous about finishing that first draft, getting past the doubts to get down the terrible words (and no longer having to chant the mantra, "The first draft doesn't have to be perfect. It's okay to have an ugly first draft.")
2. Chocolate.
Need I say more? Chocolate suits all occasions, but especially writing celebrations. 
3. Time to read just for the joy of it.
I don't know about you, but there are certain times when my writing is all consuming. When I complete a milestone, it's time to sit back and take a mini break. It's time to allow myself some me time. Reading is one of my favourite me times.
 
4. A Night Out.
I'm not what one would call a party animal. I like home. But occasionally, I love to go out and enjoy the city at night, a fine restaurant, the evening out. It's the kind of thing I do for a celebration.
 
5. A Walk through Nature.
There is something wonderfully revitalizing returning to nature, enjoying the fresh air, discovering everything it has to offer. It's awesome to get away from the computer for a while, and a great way to celebrate.
6. Write Something New.
Yep, sometimes I jump right into a whole new story. Often during a writing project, I'm bombarded by multiple ideas for other stories. So I don't lose focus, I write down the gist of the ideas then push them aside. When I finish a project, I finally have the freedom to explore those ideas that have been waiting not so patiently on the sidelines.


There are so many different styles of celebration. For example, spending quality time with loved ones, doing something I don't normally do, jumping up and down and shouting out to the world, sleeping in, playing a game. And the list goes on.

What do you do to celebrate a writing milestone?