There are amazing benefits and reasons for writers to be part of an accountability group.

One of my biggest lessons learned this past week, was that it’s amazing how much you can get done, just by being part of a support group that encourages you but also keeps you accountable to your goals.

Somewhere in my head I knew I needed accountability, but it took days and weeks of finally being frustrated enough – of not reaching my writing goals – to force me to take the next step… which was to reach out to other writers and ask for help 😉

It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. Asking for help is hard for many of us to do, I think.

I was inspired to start an accountability group from the last coaching call I had with Nina Amir in her High Performance Writers Group Coaching. So at the end of last week, I posted in Facebook in one of the writing courses I’m taking, telling other romance writers that I was struggling with getting my word count in each day.

When I reached out to other writers, I was hoping for maybe 2 or 3 other writers to join me and was surprised when that number more than tripled.

We had our first 60 minute meetup – via Facebook group and messenger – on Friday. Each of us let each other know where we were at with our writing, talked about what was working and what wasn’t and then toward the end of our chat we wrote down what our goals were for the coming week.

Scary? Definitely yes.

But I knew this was exactly what I needed and I wasn’t going to let my own fears and limiting beliefs in my abilities or whatever else, to hold me back. I had finally had enough and was ready to run.

This week there have been many lessons learned in writing and in being a part of an accountability group, which I share below…

3 Benefits of Accountability Groups for Writers

I realized this past week, that it’s so incredible and helpful to have writers surround you who are listening to you, offering advice and most of all cheering you on.

Since I started last Friday(the 1st time we met as a group), I have so far written a little over 6000 words in 5 days. I’ve really surprised myself, but most of all I feel encouraged and inspired to keep writing.

Here are 3 Benefits for writers when they are part of an accountability group:

1.You know you aren’t struggling alone. When you’re really struggling with writing that blogpost, novel or nonfiction book, it helps to know that you’re not alone. When another writer lets you know that they’ve struggled too with reaching their goals, you feel like you’re not alone and it makes reaching your goal seem much more doable. When you are trying to finish your book, knowing you aren’t alone, somehow makes getting that first draft done, less daunting.

2.You learn from others in the group. In the writer’s group chat last week, I was busy soaking in all the tips from indie romance writers who had written and sold many books. They shared what worked and what didn’t as far as marketing and productivity. It’s so great to learn from other writer’s success and also be challenged to keep going when you feel like you aren’t reaching your goals.

3.You can encourage others and you are encouraged in return. Maybe they’ve tried a new way of writing or are writing in a new genre that they are excited about and it is selling well. You can encourage them and add value to their lives.  At the same time, you can also be challenged with your own writing. Or maybe someone will say how they had all these crazy things happen in their lives this past week and they still continued to write. I feel inspired to keep going when I hear stories like that.

There are also other benefits of being in an accountability group, like reaching your deadlines and having people to celebrate with you. I’m shooting for hitting my writing goal by Friday!

I hope you find this post useful to you. Maybe you’ve been inspired to start an accountability group of your own… that would be amazing! You might just be surprised, like I was, at how many other writers are in need of the support of other writers so they can accomplish their goals.

 

Are there other benefits that you would add for writers to be part of an accountability group?  Please share your thoughts in the comments below, we can learn from each other 🙂