Writing is hard. That’s why celebrating and remembering our milestones is important.

I’ve talked about the importance of celebrating our writing birthdays, and also some ideas to get your party started. Today I’m going to show you what I plan to do this year to celebrate the month that I started writing seriously, with also even more ideas for you to remember your milestones.

The more I write, the more I realize how hard it is. I mean, like, really hard. And with that realization I’ve also realized how important it is to celebrate milestones and recognize progress.

September is the month I started writing seriously. I’ve been writing since I was about 7, but in 2017 I really got serious and started studying storytelling. Since I don’t remember the exact day, I kind of count the whole month as my writing birthday month. It works because my actual birthday is in September. 😉

Here’s what I’m doing this year to celebrate my writing birthday…

01. Reading The Story of With by Allen Arnold

I’ve read this book once already, but it’s one of those really good non-fiction books that just need to be reread. I might reread this every year for my writing birthday.

02. Maybe do a self-care day

I’m not big on a ton of self-care activities, but the first time I did this I went into the next day feeling a bit more refreshed. Even though I love writing on a regular basis, I don’t always realize when I need a break. A self-care day for me would be doing something like a hair mask (my curly hair loves those), taking time to do some calming stretching, and letting my inspiration guide as to whether or not I’ll write or which project I’ll work on.

03. Trying a different writing style

I might explore different writing styles/forms. Like poetry, flash fiction, etc. This not only can grow me as a writer, but can inspire me because it’s stretching my mind in a different way. Hmm, maybe this is a blog series idea…Jenna tries different writing styles, come and read it.

Celebration ideas for you

• Self-care day
• Read-a-thon
• Write whatever you want
• Get in touch with your writer friends
• Support the writing community
• Announce your writing birthday on social media
• Do a story study
• Eat your favorite foods
• Celebrate with family
• Bake something/make a special meal
• Go out to your favorite place
• Buy books 😛
• Treat yourself to notebooks/office supplies
• Try reading a writing style you’ve never read before
• Read your earliest stories…remember how much you’ve grown
• Dedicate a whole social media post to your favorite WIP
• Throw a literal birthday party with friends
• Write a letter to your younger writer self
• Write a letter to your future writer self
• Get art commissioned of your protagonist
• Binge-watch your favorite shows or movies
• Get art commissioned for your protagonist
• Binge-watch your favorite shows or movies
• Try an art form you’ve never tried before
• Spend the day pretending to be your protagonist
• Ask siblings or friends to act out a scene from one of your WIPs

You may also like:

• How to Take a Self-Care Day as a Writer|7 ideas
• Self-Care for Writers {stay inspired, creative, & feeling great}
• My Morning & Night Routines (how they make me more productive)
• 10 Desk Stretches & Exercises for Writers
• 10 Tips to Stay Productive Working At Home
• 124 Things to Do When You’re Stuck At Home|Collab. with Julia @Lit Aflame

When is your writing birthday?