Congrats, you’ve finished your draft …
… Now it’s time to celebrate. I mean it! Life as a writer is hard, rife with rejection and self-doubt, against seemingly impossible odds. You need to make sure you make time to celebrate this major win.
Here’s a few things you may want to consider to help you celebrate. Ready? Let’s go …
1) Acknowledge the win
Look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re the main wo/man or person. Remind yourself LOTS of people want to be writers … but very few of us manage to get words on paper, never mind make it out the other side to publication or production.
So first things first, pat yourself on the back for your achievement. That’s it!
2) Take A Break
Confession time: I used to find finishing a draft a bit of an anti-climax. This meant I wanted to fill the hole my last story had left. I would go straight from one draft to another or start editing without a break.
Unsurprisingly, this took its toll VERY FAST … and I ended up burning out, HARD. Learn from my mistakes!
3) Tell Your Writer Friends
If you have a group of personal writer friends, tell them you’ve made it to the end of your draft. They will get what a big deal this is, so will celebrate with you.
If you DON’T have any personal writer friends, that’s okay. Drop in to Twitter, insta or Facebook and tag ME as @Bang2write.
I will congratulate you and so will the Bangers. W000t! You can also use hashtags like #WritingCommunity to find writer friends too.
4) Treat yourself
It’s true that many of our friends and loved ones won’t ‘get’ what a big deal it is to finish a draft. (Hell, many of them think we’re just mucking about – boo).
When I finish a draft then, I go for a walk. It’s great to get away from my desk and be at one with nature. I even go when it’s windy and rainy! I love to see how dramatic the British countryside can get.
If I’ve just done a MAJOR edit or had a book published, I go one further and treat myself to a block of my favourite chocolate. I have expensive taste – it’s £3.50 for a small bar. Yikes! But that’s okay, I’ve earned it.
So think about whatever it is you like to do … and do it. You deserve it.
5) Remind Yourself
Sometimes writers tell me finishing drafts makes them anxious. This will usually because they feel daunted about about revising the story. Other times it will be because they have to ‘reset to zero’ by moving on and starting a new project.
Remind yourself every writer feels this way. What’s more, you know now you CAN finish a draft. You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again. YOU GOT THIS!!! MORE: 10 Simple Steps for Revising Your Draft