I approach this blog with a little bit of trepidation. I’ve known all month that this week we were going to be talking about rewarding ourselves after the final NaNoWriMo push.
Here is my confession. My idea of a reward is kind of boring. What did I do this week to reward myself for completing a first draft of a novel? I took a break. No obsessing at the computer, no obsessing over research, brainstorming, character development, etc.
I didn’t need a new gadget or even a new notebook. I just needed a break. Time to pick up the slack of other responsibilities pushed to the side during the crazy writing month of NaNo. I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and decorated the house for Christmas. I paid attention to my neglected family members. (read: I didn’t turn on my laptop once.)
So I was really glad when I read Kitty’s blog “What’s the Deal with Rewards?” on Wednesday when she wrote: “maybe, just maybe, you aren’t a rewards-oriented person.”
Ah, that’s it! I’m not a rewards person (note to future publisher: man does not live on feelings of accomplishment alone; some cash is required.) I can think of nothing that will make me push harder towards a goal other than time off.
When I worked at a publishing company we had an annual Christmas Party where prizes were given away. The best gift? A day off with pay. I didn’t even want the DVD player (back when DVD players were the new fad.) Management gave out about 5 of these “day off”prizes. The emcee would say “And the next prize is a day off….” and the crowd would respond “WITH PAY!”
So enjoy your accomplishments. Take some time to regroup. Next week we are talking about the writer’s routine of goal setting. Yes, those New Year’s Resolutions are just around the corner. We’ll help you get prepared.
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I completely agree with the simple things. I worked really freaking hard all month and the biggest reward for me was printing it all out and admiring my hard work. That, alone, was enough to keep me driven to accomplish my goal. No fancy gift or party necessary.
When I read “note to future publisher: man does not live on feelings of accomplishment alone; some cash is required” I laughed so loud my apartment echoed! I have to agree about time off being my reward, too. I am working my butt off right now to finish a couple projects before Christmas so I can take two weeks off (without guilt). I’d rather have the knowledge I’m done with these and can re-focus on my writing again in January than ANY Christmas gift you can think of!
By the way, beautiful picture!
If you’re going over writer routines for goal setting, I’ll see you during the week. I’d rather start approaching this topic before the first week in January. Thanks,
Julie
RebelHeart, Yes, we are heading into goal planning. You can check out our calendar page to see the topics. Starting on Monday we will be talking about setting priorities–starting to think about all those things we have going on in our lives to determine which are “keepers” and which we can let go to make room for our writing. Among other things, LOL. Stephanie is kicking us off and I have no idea what she is going to say yet.
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