My accountability partner is a safety net. She helped me complete my first book.
When I joined Chandler Bolt’s Self-Publishing School (SPS), one of their techniques to keep students on track was to insist we work with an accountability buddy. The idea is to have someone hold the writer accountable for their goals.
I found a great accountability buddy. While our books would be about different subjects, we were both writing non-fiction. We had the same set of values about health and life. Talking to her was fun, she was intelligent, organized and pragmatic; we were a match.
Her book would improve the physical health of her readers. My book was about mental toughness. She always told me the truth and kept me on track. I loved that we were both about making the world a better place and helping others. I was still in the corporate world, being a big corporate Vice-President with people whispering what they thought I wanted to hear in my ear.
It was refreshing to have someone who didn’t need or want anything from me other than my honest opinions. I appreciated that we were both drinking-off- a-firehose, attempting to write a book and keep our day jobs. A side hustle of writing while keeping your day job perfect is a tough side hustle.
Last year, with her support, I published my first book ahead of the three-month schedule. This year we are partners in another SPS activity. There is a task to complete a first draft by 31 March. We both committed to having new first drafts.
We have agreed to write at least an hour a day, beginning at 9 a.m. There is something gratifying in knowing she is writing while I am writing. We text and message each other to stay on track. We sometimes talk to perk each other up.
Both of us are busy so life will interfere with our plans. For example, one of my kitties was sick. I needed to take him to the veterinarian. Although I could not write at 9 a.m. that day, my partner was right back with me the next morning encouraging me to stay on track. Because I knew she would be ready to write at 9 a.m. so was I.
Writing is a tough gig. Knowing someone else is experiencing the victories and defeats that writing can bring is comforting. An accountability partner is another success strategy that works. Find a partner for yourself. You don’t need to write alone.
I can be contacted at http://www.tonicrowewriter.com
