I am a member of the #Time2Write online writing workshop started by Jen Laffin at TeachWrite. We meet on Zoom at four designated times during the week. I try to participate in as many of the sessions as I can. Sometimes I can only make it once or twice.

Knowing that I can log in to Zoom and write with other teacher-writers several times a week has helped me to stay focused on my writing. I hear what others are working on and it helps me broaden my own writing. I take more risks and write more because I am part of a community of teacher-writers.

But what about the days I can’t join in on a #Time2Write session? Or the days when a writing session isn’t on the calendar? How can I keep the momentum going?

To address this issue, four of us from #Time2Write have started an accountability chat to check in with each other every day. Did you write today? What did you write?

Having a message pop up on my phone makes it harder for me to brush writing aside; I can’t let my group down. It’s peer pressure in the best possible way because it's organic and meaningful. It works!

In the past, I have tried different ways to develop a daily writing habit, such as putting a reminder on my phone, writing at the same time every day (usually first thing in the morning), and putting writing as an appointment on my calendar. But these strategies haven't worked for very long. Somehow, knowing that there are other people who are counting on me and cheering me on in my writing journey, can make all the difference in the world.

So, on the first day of this accountability experiment, I set my phone's timer for a 50 minute writing session. I journaled,  wrote a draft of this Slice of Life (#SOL) post, and revised a section of a writing project I am working on...and sticking to.

I also started to keep track of the writing I do every day. That way I can see the progress I make over time and affirm that I am indeed writing. In the same way that I keep track of what I read on @Goodreads and share pictures of book covers on my #Instagram feed, I am documenting my daily writing. For now this is for my eyes only, but maybe I will find a way to make it public to encourage others to keep writing.

How are you ensuring that you write every day? What has helped you stay accountable to your writing? Leave a comment so that we can support each other as teacher-writers.

Cross posted to The Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge.