“I think the hardest part about writing is writing.” -Nora Ephron​

 

Yes, writing can be hard. Especially when you’re doing it alone … or when you don’t have a goal … or when you don’t have a routine.

 

We’re going to make writing a little bit easier through this weekly accountability write-in. We want to create a supportive space where you can churn out words, meet your writing goals and deadlines, and build creative connections with others.

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I’m a writer, editor, and publisher, and I’ve also led the organization that has helped more writers write a first draft than any other on the planet, National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). I’ve written 5 books, and I’m working on another one, so I’m going to be writing alongside you each week. 

Here are three things I know about writing:

 

• Per Nora Ephron’s quote above, writing is hard. Every writer faces resistance, inner critics, or outright blocks.

• A goal and a deadline is a creative midwife, as we say at NaNoWriMo.

• Writing doesn’t have to be done alone. Writing can be a team sport. In fact, writing with others can be a powerful force of motivation and accountability (not to mention creativity).

 

We writers tend to be solitary creatures. We sit in the penumbra of the light at our desks, anguishing over the inertia of a plot, crumbling up pieces of paper, biting our fingernails, and hoping that the next cup of coffee will deliver more inspiration than jitters.

 

Here’s the rub, though: most writers’ work is actually spawned and supported by a creative community.

 

Meeting regularly to write with others is important because it helps keep you accountable. Think about it. Are you more likely to stop writing when your plot plays dead while alone at home or in a room full of other writers? 

 

Joyce Carol Oates said, “Getting the first draft finished is like pushing a peanut with your nose across a very dirty floor.” With this writing accountability group, we’ll make writing the first draft a little less arduous—and a lot more fun!

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Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story. He recently published The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story. He's also published Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories; All the Comfort Sin Can Provide; Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story; and Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo.   

 

Grant's stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and he has been anthologized in collections such as Norton’s New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction, Flash Fiction America, Best Small Fictions, and Best Microfiction. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer.   

 

Find Grant online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Listen to his podcast Write-minded and subscribe to his newsletter Intimations: A Writer's Discourse.

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Click here to learn more about Grant.