Today is the first day of spring break for my children.
This week of spring break is also the time to celebrate four close family birthdays, observe Easter, send off my taxes, and email the second Memphis book to my editor.
Yesterday I was frantic. I drove two school carpools in the morning (it was my day), drove to Wal-Mart to shop for my son’s 13th birthday…suddenly realized the dog was in the car (she loves school carpools), drove home, took the corgi into the house, drove back to Wal-Mart, shopped, took my husband’s shirts to the cleaner (where I had a difficult exchange with the cleaner who didn’t understand my Southern accent), drove home and worked on revisions that my agent had sent me.
I had drama class carpool to drive a couple of hours later, and then I was to be Brownie scout leader for a Girl Scout function at a Monkey Joe’s party (where the kids jump on inflatables and generally run wild.)
Then the phone rang.
It was my friend. Could I please bring the cupcakes to the school for the children’s last day before break? Spring cupcakes. She was at work and couldn’t get away.
Of course, I said, making sure the stress didn’t drip into my voice.
I stopped what I was doing, drove to the store, bought cupcakes, and hurried off to the elementary school.
As I strode quickly down the halls, I noticed all the artwork hanging on the walls. I was thinking how familiar I was with this school—my 7th grade son had been in kindergarten here. And it struck me that my daughter had only 2 more years at the school and then my days being an elementary school parent will be over.
My friend wanted to celebrate the beginning of spring— slow down and appreciate the little things with the children.
It made me think that a little slowing down and some daily celebrating might not be a bad thing.
I love writing. But sometimes it can stress me out. The last couple of weeks have been stressful.
I think part of my problem is that I’m always thinking ahead. A friend at the Brownie scout event asked me about my current book and I said, “Oh, I’m turning it in on Monday.”
“You must be so excited!” she said. “Are you going to kick back and relax a little?”
And I looked at her with surprise. “No, actually. I’m starting the next book.”
Which I need to do. Because I wrote a book last summer when the kids were home and it was really hard! I’m hoping to get some good progress on the next WIP before mid-June.
But I realize that I also need to take time to celebrate completing each part of the process….whether it’s a final draft, or even something as small as writing a difficult scene.
I want to enjoy the process—whatever part of the process I’m in that day.
And then…continuing on to the next stage after that. Because otherwise our daily successes—the little things—get lost in the shuffle.
Do you recognize or celebrate your small accomplishments to keep motivated?
Elizabeth – Your day sounds as busy as my days get! And what a great mother and neighbor/friend you are!
I find that I have to celebrate the small successes. Otherwise, the process of writing is too daunting. It helps me to keep going and stay encouraged if I celebrate little things. For example, I always celebreate just a little when I send off new chapters to my beta readers; I know, a tiny thing, but it keeps me “charged up.”
I’m puzzled by the Southern accent problem, Elizabeth. Doesn’t everyone else in North Carolina also have a southern accent? To my ears they do.
I celebrate every thousand words when writing the first draft. Cup of tea, a chocolate, or maybe quitting for the day. Well done in keeping the balance, Elizabeth!
This was a very good post and so true that you have to celebrate the daily sucesses. I think that I will adopt this too. I think ahead a little too much and don’t focus on the moment enough… so I totally feel you. Happy Spring! :o)
You accomplished a lot. Wow, I’d rather go to work; less stressful.
I try to celebrate little things; give myself a small reward. Oddly enough; when I meet a writing goal, I reward myself by reading something purely for pleasure.
It serves the dual purpose of reminding myself why I’m killing myself sometimes to juggle work, family and writing. Pretty much in that order.
Lovely sentiments. Thanks for the reminder.
…….dhole
Great post. It’s so important to take the time and savor even small moments and not get caught up in rushing through our busy days.
Wow, I’m tired just trying to keep up with all you did (not do). You’re an amazing lady Elizabeth. You definitely need to stop and celebrate your successes (at least for a few hours). Good luck with all you have going on.
Yes. I love to celebrate. That’s very important to me.
And I am learning the value of retreats. I took a week long retreat last week. Wow. I needed it more than I know.
This is one of the things we have to resolve, no matter what our work is — how to keep ourselves fresh.
I love to celebrate, every chance I get. Unfortunately, I don’t have time :)
Good luck with your Spring Break! Glad to hear you got your revisions already done. We’re in the midst of ours, and, well, I can’t say I’ve been very productive, although I have been able to work on my putting.
Elizabeth, I agree with Jan’s comment. You need to celebrate the small stuff so that you can recharge. Turning in a book isn’t a small task though. I’d think that would require at least a full day off from the hectic pace you run. Congrats! :)
Yes–that’s something that’s important to me. I need it to get me going.
Happy spring break, birthdays, and Easter to you!
I am learning to celebrate and acknowledges my successes. For oh so long I only saw the negatives. I’m actually making journal entries for each little “win.”
Karen
Pausing to acknowledge small successes and accomplishments is SO important. In some ways, that’s the other part of my ongoing “Novel Dare” – when I report each day’s progress, I am sharing it and acknowledging it.
I took yesterday off as a kind of celebration of getting an ISBN for my Kindle book, and getting it approved to go up on the Apple store.
Today, I ahve to get back to the grindstone.
Elizabeth, you sound so busy and yet you manage it all with wisdom and grace :) Thanks for the reminder to celebrate the small successes. I needed to remember not to focus on only big goals, but to enjoy the scenery on the way there. This weekend is going to be full of celebration for successes, big and small!
This is something that I talk about with clients all the time! Yes, celebrate small and big successes. If you don’t, you will run out of steam. That’s what it feels like – from a transactional analysis point of view it is when your inner kid says ‘nothing I do is enough so the heck with it!’ and nothing you do in your parent ego state will move that kid. This is frustrating but really good news – it means your creative spark – your inner kid – has some energy to resist the constant barrage of shoulds and oughtas. So upshot, take the occasional break – it won’t ruin anything. Take a ‘snow day’ or a ‘health day’ and recharge!
I’m at the other end of that and glad to be working hard BUT only because I played quite a bit…
I think you should always celebrate the small steps. After all, we break our big goals down into measurable, small steps. Each one we accomplish deserves to be recognized.
When I recently finished the first draft of my steampunk ms I happy danced for days. Every time I thought about it, I couldn’t stop grinning. :)
Well, I just finished with the corrections from the editor. And in doing so, I was struck with an idea for a sequel. So I’ll probably start writing that soon.
After this last book release, I will take a short break – but the break involves research for the next book!
We just can’t stop, can we?
I’m breathless just reading about your day. It’s amazing how much we can squeeze in when we have to!
You bet I celebrate even the tiniest bit of success! And I love sharing my own successes with blog friends, just like I love reading about their great experiences.
So congratulations to you, and I really enjoyed reading about your bustle, thinking there might be a good scene or two in there. (Though not a Myrtle scene; she would not let anyone coax her into baking cup cakes – and perhaps no one would consider asking her to?)
I totally understand. And yes, I celebrate small successes for a day or so. Seems once I’ve sent a book off to my editor I relax maybe a day or two and then I start getting antsy. If I’m not working on a book, I’m not happy. And my life would be soooo much easier if I could just chill for a while. So, what’s with that? Are writers never satisfied? I guess that’s possible. (didn’t mean to answer myself, but…)We’re always trying to best ourselves. AND that should be celebrated, too.
Oh, I’m so with you on that. I’ve been under so much stress lately that writing has become a chore. I thought April would be quieter and I could spend more time writing… so far, no luck.
Have a happy break!
ann
Margot–It’s true…too easy to burn out otherwise. Because there’s always something to DO! It’s easy to forget what we’ve DONE.
Bobbi–I should have mentioned that the dry cleaner is Korean. :) She and I don’t understand each other. My accent can be a little thick, hers is too. And, in Charlotte–the Northern accents outnumber the Southern ones by FAR…I’m one of just a handful of Southerners that I know here.
Girl in My Own World–It’s easy to forget the moment, isn’t it?
Donna–That’s a GREAT idea–celebrate by reading!
Jan–My inner kid *definitely* needs some time! I’ve been a grown-up for months now and you’re so right–it’s tough on the creative process.
Ingrid–I just hope I can remember that!
Alex–Congratulations on turning yours in! And for the great new idea.
Mason–I don’t think I’m doing it all by choice…at least, I *feel* like I haven’t chosen this! But either way, I’m trying to roll with it. Thanks!
Cassandra–A retreat sounds *wonderful*. Maybe sometime this summer I can set something like that up.
Alan–Ha! You’re in the same boat I’m in! 2 series. And think of all the ideas you’re able to mull over while you putt. :)
Diane–No, we can’t stop..because then maybe we’ll take too much of a break and no one will want to read our books anymore! See, this is the kind of thinking that messes me up…
Charmaine–It CAN be done. I don’t recommend it, but… :)
Stacy–I’m hoping that this time I can maybe make my writing goals a little less strenuous? Maybe just a few pages instead of 1/2 a chapter. That might help with the recharging, too.
Kristen–To you, too!
Kathi–I think I’m NOT easily satisfied! You’re absolutely right. I’m very restless and several of the writers I know seem to be the same way. I want to write, I love to write, but I can’t rest on my laurels because there’s always the next book!
Karen–I think journaling our successes and small achievements is a great idea!
The Daring Novelist–I’ve thought that about your posts–I think it’s a great way to keep motivated. Congrats on the ISBN!
Ann–And I hate to admit it when it IS stressful because I did choose to write. But it’s like any other job sometimes.
Julie–Great! I hope you have a happy and restful weekend. :)
Terry–You’re so right…we break our writing tasks into small, achievable goals so it should be easier to recognize and celebrate when we’ve met one.
Jemi–And that’s what we all need to do! Congratulations! :)
I don’t see how you keep up with your kid’s schedule much less find time to write, market and blog. I probably take too much time to celebrate the small things and end up losing momentum.
Hahaha, Monkey Joe’s! My niece (she’s 9) had her birthday party with a dozen little girls there last summer…it was c-h-a-o-t-i-c!
You’re a wonderful mother and friend. Everything you do for others will come back to you…hopefully in the form of MORE TIME!
I hope you have a happy Easter weekend and get to relax a little. :)
Actually, I do. Sometimes it’s a small thing that only I’m aware of. Sometimes it’s more involved. But I do celebrate. I think it’s important.
A very thoughtful post, Elizabeth. Yes, I agree, you do need to enjoy the process. You’re so busy, so organized, and so accomplished that you need to be careful not to let the small joys get away. Not that you need me to give advice, and I’m not! (I hope.) I just want for you whatever you want.
Best Regards, Galen.
Absolutely. I celebrate small milestones all the time. I try to stay away from food though. Since I spend a lot of time sitting its easy to pack on the pounds.
Stephen Tremp
Good reminder about the process.
I’ve had a day of cringes – squeezing in stolen minutes to write before the kids awoke, the baby getting into the medicine cabinet, his sisters breaking two glasses in quick succession, a migraine. One of those days I could easily stamp “failure” and try to forget about as fast as possible. But you’re right. I only have one chance at today and I want to soak it up.
Tamika–Thanks! :) And I hope you have a Happy Easter, too!
Stephen–I think that’s a danger for writers. :) Too much time sitting down!
Carol–I wish I could be that reflective and in-the-moment. I’m working on it. :)
Galen–I think the busyness of it all just hijacks my enjoyment of it. But I’m aware it’s slipping away…and I’m going to try to get it back a little.
Faith–What a day! You’re doing a great job putting it in perspective, though. And thank goodness they pass through these stages! Good reminder to just take each day as it comes.
I do try to pause and celebrate, writing progress, kids’ milestones, personal growth. It’s important. We don’t have to run at full speed EVERY day.
My babies are in their last year at elementary. I’ll be bringing the box of Kleenex to their “graduation.”