Celebrating the Tiniest Successes

When writing, it is so easy to become hung up on all the things we haven’t achieved. We fixate on our failures. Maybe we didn’t win the competition we had out heart set on, we didn’t get an agent or publishers keep saying no to the book we poured our heart and soul into. Maybe our books aren’t being distributed in 97 countries across the world. They’re not being reviewed in National papers. And we haven’t landed the coveted TV or film deal.

Whatever stage we are in during our writing journeys, it’s so easy to compare ourselves to others. It’s human nature. And for someone like me, who admittedly is fiercely competitive in areas of her life such as Connect 4 (where I am unbeaten and champion of the world!), on occasions the green-eyed monster rears her ugly head. I’m always thrilled for others, but there’s sometimes a sneaky little voice that whines, ‘When will it be my turn?’ And then I think about all I’ve achieved – and I give myself an internal fist bump.

We are all achieving all the time. It might be incredibly small and seem unimportant to others, but why shouldn’t we celebrate it? Why do we have to wait for the bigger moments to unleash our inner diva happy dancing girl/boy? Why not celebrate sooner?

You could celebrate writing 1 000 words in a day. Hey, you could even have a glass of bubbly afterwards. Because you have found the time to write! 

You could celebrate finishing a book. Because writing is hard and you actually got to the very end!!! Wahoo!!! Regardless of what anyone thinks about it, you have a completed manuscript. You are an author!!!

You could celebrate the very moment you send out your story to a critique partner, an agent or a publisher. You are being incredibly brave by letting someone else see your words. I think having someone look at your personal creation for the very first time is an enormous achievement.  You have no idea what their reactions will be, but you are willing to take that risk. You are putting yourself out there. 

And maybe it returns with feedback that feels like a crushing blow. But if they have given you editorial advice, it means they decided your story was worth the time for individual feedback.  And yes, let’s celebrate again. (Perhaps after you’ve sobbed a little.) 

And of course celebrate your book being published – whether it’s number one or number 100. At this moment, you are living your best life.

Celebrate when you hear that a child has chosen your book ever every other book in library or bookshop.

Celebrate when a child writes to tell you that they love your book. Because he/she is the very person you are writing for.

One of my greatest thrills comes when I hear a reluctant reader has been swept up into my books. Jellybeans are gobbled in volume every time that happens. 

Celebrate when a school contacts you because they want you to be an inspiration for their pupils. And ok, it might be terrifying the first time you ever do this, but just imagine – you might get a non-reader excited by books; You might inspire a future Booker prize winner to take the plunge into writing stories.

And obviously it goes without saying - celebrate all the massive achievements such as signing contracts, winning awards, national coverage, invites to festivals, and film deals! But don’t forget the other moments too.

When you celebrate, you can have chocolate, alcohol, jellybeans, go out for the dinner, to the cinema, bungee jumping or extreme ironing. Anything that is a celebration for you. Just try to mark each occasion because you deserve it! 

Anyway as I’ve finished writing this post, I might go and celebrate with a chocolate bar.

I also might celebrate that I just done a pile of washing and all the socks matched. Does anyone else get super excited when that happens?

Tamsin Cooke

Author of The Scarlet Files Series and Stunt Double Series

Website: tamsincooke.co.uk

Twitter: @TamsinCooke1