Share the Mess: Our Weekly Accountability Thread

Saturday Accountability: Week 1

art by Mariam Chagelishvili

→ This week’s goal: Power through Act One and get to the place where your character makes a decision they can’t go back on.

→ Word target: 12k words by the end of the week.

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Welcome to our first Saturday Accountability thread!

There are thousands of us sprinting through First Draft November right now, and I don’t want any of you to feel like you’re quietly suffering, all alone in your Word Doc.

We are all in this together, so let’s get to know each other, cheer each other on, and share the mess.

Let’s see who else might be on the same page as you (pun absolutely intended).

Step 1: Build your line

Pick a hashtag from each of the categories below that describes where you’re at today.

→ Progress vibe: How did your session go today?

#FlyingThrough #SlowAndSteady #FeralTyping #ScreamingIntoTheVoid

→ Act One energy: Where are you in your draft?

#SetupDone #IncitingIncident #BigDecision #StillFiguringItOut

→ Current mood?

#Motivated #Delusional #Procrastinating #I’mKillingIt

→ Optional extras: Some examples, but feel free to add your own!

#CoffeeFueled #NightWriter #PlotHoleCity #MainCharacterEnergy

Once finished, your line should look like this: #SlowAndSteady #SetUpDone #Motivated #CoffeeFueled

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Step 2: Drop your line in the comments

Scroll down, or use this link.

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Step 3: Reply to one other writer’s comment

Cheer them on, commiserate, or just say, “Same.”

A friendly reminder: No perfection or guilt here! Despite this ambitious challenge (and our enthusiasm for it), we are inevitably going to hit roadblocks or have “life things” get in the way. If you didn’t write as much as you wanted to this week, don’t dwell. Just keep going.

We are cheering you on!

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First Draft November is a free-for-all, month-long challenge for writers who are ready to get that novel they’ve been dreaming of on the page. For more content like this, subscribe below.