Sitting in my basement is a plastic storage container filled with about a dozen finished manuscripts.
When I was in college, I spent a lot of time writing novels. I remember the hours and hours spent in front of my computer, furiously typing away. Sometimes it felt like I would never get to the end of the story, but that moment always came.
Relief would fill me (along with a twinge of sadness) to complete such a large task.
After placing that last period, I took time to celebrate what I had accomplished.
The manuscript was nowhere close to being ready for publication, but it was finished. That’s all I wanted.
I’ve heard it said many times that you can’t revise a blank page.
Even though there was a mess staring back at me, it was contained. It was complete.
A little bit of myself (okay, a lot of myself) was placed into the words on those pages, and I needed to celebrate that.
Fast forward almost seven years.
I haven’t finished a novel-length manuscript since 2011. My younger self would be appalled by that, but life has changed, responsibilities have been added, and I haven’t been able to carve out the time for a novel-length project in recent years.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not writing.
I write blog posts.
I write poetry.
I write devotions.
I write articles for Teach Write.
I write.
That’s what matters.
And that’s what I’m going to celebrate.
Although my writing looks different than it did in the past, I’m still growing. I’m still moving forward.
And that’s worth celebrating.
Maybe you’ve felt like you don’t have anything to celebrate because you haven’t written a novel.
That’s okay.
Did you write today?
Did you put your butt in that chair?
Did you capture a fleeting moment on your phone?
Did you scribble something on a scrap piece of paper?
Did you write?
Celebrate it.
Don’t wait to celebrate the big project. Celebrate the journey. Celebrate the small projects, the small accomplishments.
Each step of the journey is worth celebrating because it’s bringing us closer to our goal. When we are active, we have something to celebrate because we are continuing to grow.
Tynea Lewis is a former Title I teacher from Pennsylvania. She was named a 30 Under 30 honoree by the International Literacy Association in 2016 for her work with LitPick Student Book Reviews, an online reading and writing program. When she’s not busy overseeing the program or working for Family Friend Poems, she loves to spend time with her husband and young daughters, write for a variety of audiences, and escape to the quietness of the mountains. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @TyneaLewis or on her blog at tynealewis.com.
"Celebrate the journey" -- YES! We often forget how important these micro-celebrations are. I am going to be more aware of them and make them a part of my regular gratitudes. Thank you, Tynea.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be more aware of them as well (and not be so hard on myself when things don't play out like I think they should). As long as I'm writing, that's something worth celebrating!
DeleteOur writing (and reading) lives ebb and flow. We have peaks and valleys, but it is the celebrations along the way to keep us going. Thank you for pointing out to our readers that the small things are important. We don't have to write novels or other big project, we just need to write. Thank you for writing and celebrating with us this month!
ReplyDeleteIt's something I have to remind myself constantly!
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