Accountability Check-In #0

Staying true to the name of the blog, this is my first accountability check-in—or rather my baseline, since I haven’t made any real progress yet (writing is hard). I hope you’ll come along on this journey with me, and I encourage you to start an accountability journal so that you can track your progress too!

how did this come about?

I recently had someone point out to me that creative writing might not be my true passion (gasp!) since I’m not spending much time doing it. They also asked why I spend time blogging when I could spend that time writing creatively instead.

Aghast, I responded that I’m using my blog as a means to learn the theory of writing so that I can avoid common pitfalls when I actually sit down to write.

Then they countered that there is a real danger of getting too caught up in theory and not actually putting it into practice. Like spending all your time researching writing but not actually doing it—literally this blog.

I absolutely hate to admit it, but they kind of had a point.

The drive to prove someone wrong is an excellent motivator. Needless to say, it lit a fire under my ass.

At this point I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so why not give it a shot.

how can I balance research and practical application?

Ideally I think I should be doing both simultaneously—learn the theory and put it into practice right then and there. I will continue to plan blog posts that focus on theory, and then implement what I have learned in my own writing as much as possible. This should be feasible, but I will adjust my approach as necessary and give an update on how this is working for me in my next check-in.

how will I track my progress?

I will be posting a weekly update with word counts to keep myself accountable.

I’ve always been a bit unsure of how to approach word counts because I like to do a bit of planning before I start and then also plan as I go. I figure that I’ll just treat words in outlines the same as prose. If anything, it would function as an extra challenge since planning doesn’t typically involve as many words, so I’d have to do more planning than writing prose to get to the same word count.

projects in progress

These are projects which I am setting time aside for and actively writing on a weekly basis. I want to make progress on these projects in the short-term which makes them a priority.

These word count goals may seem small and relatively easy to meet, however I’m being kind to myself since I’m a full-time student heading into my final year of professional school, so managing stress and expectations is a constant battle. I may adjust these goals as I become more efficient or as my priorities change.

In terms of timeline, I want the non-fiction book to be submitted for publishing by the end of 2022. To meet this submission deadline, I will set a tentative final draft deadline of July 2022 and a rough first draft deadline of December 2021. I could try to finish the drafts earlier, but realistically I will be studying for board exams for a good part of this year.

timeline: non-fiction lifestyle book

projects in development

These projects include ideas I’m still in the early phases of hashing out and those which I hope to start as I complete priority projects. These are long-term projects that I develop on and off as ideas come to me, but I am not actively working to complete them anytime soon.

• dystopian fantasy horror
• sci-fi space thriller
• career comedy screenplay

projects completed

• none

The world belongs to the doers.

Here’s to staying on the wagon and not falling off.

As always, feel free to discuss in the comments below or reach out via the contact form. I’d love to hear from you!

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