Write Well Day 19: Celebrate small wins

As writers, we can be our own harshest critics. We focus on the chapters still to be written, the revisions yet to be made, and the long road ahead. It’s easy to get lost in the “big picture” and forget to celebrate the small steps along the way. But it’s those small wins—the paragraphs written, the plot points hammered out, the moments of inspiration—that keep us going.

When I was working on Four Minutes, I often felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead (plus, I was planning to submit it to a novels competition, so I had given myself a very tight a deadline). But I learned to take joy in the small moments wins. Finishing a difficult scene, distilling a paragraph to one strong and emotionally dense sentence, or simply getting through a writing session without distractions: it all counted. Each of these moments brought me closer to the final draft, even if they seemed small in isolation.

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Here are five ways to celebrate small wins, along with some practical actions to help you stay motivated and build momentum in your writing journey.