Celebrate Your Writing Progress Even When Life Isn’t Perfect

From Edie: Feeling stuck or behind in your writing journey? Discover why celebrating your progress—even when life and writing aren’t perfect—can renew motivation, strengthen your faith, and keep you moving forward.

Celebrate Your Writing Progress Even When Life Isn’t Perfect

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

“Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.” -Annette Funicello (1942-2013), actress & singer

Cue the Confetti!

I like Dove chocolates, specifically milk chocolates. (My apologies to any dark chocolate lovers out there.) I enjoy removing the foil wrappers from the chocolates and reading the short encouraging messages written on the inside as I savor my sweet indulgence.

“Okay, Beth,” you say, “I get it. You like chocolate. And your point is?”

A few weeks ago, I unwrapped one piece of chocolate and read this message: Cue the confetti. 

Hmmm. Cute message, but I didn’t have any confetti. I also didn’t have any reason to toss any confetti, either.

A few minutes later, I unwrapped my second piece of chocolate and read this message: Cheers to where you’re at!

Okay then. Celebrating was the theme for the day, at least as far as my two random pieces of Dove chocolate were concerned. 

The reality was, even if I had confetti in the house, I wouldn’t celebrate where I was in my writing life. (Aha! Here’s the tie in for all you writers reading this blog post!) 

Who celebrates being behind the power curve? Who celebrates tearing up their plot not once, but multiple times? Who celebrates a mish-mash of a word count? 

Not this writer.

Then came the double Dove chocolate wrappers with the encouragement to toss some confetti in the air and celebrate where I’m at in this less than perfect moment in time.

Do I have to wait for my writing life to be perfect to celebrate? I hope not because there are no perfect moments in my writing life or my real life. If I wait for perfect, the confetti will be sitting on the shelf forever. 

What are my reasons to toss some confetti in the air? 

• I’m part of an exciting new monthly online book club with 11 other authors, with the chance to connect with new readers. 

• My amazing craft partner, Rachel Hauck, keeps pushing me … Ahem! I mean, encouraging me to dive in and find my story, my characters—to not quit on this story idea. 

• I’ve purposefully read some wonderful books in recent weeks to motivate me to up my writing game.

• My husband, Rob, supports me as an author and says “yes” every time I ask him to do and Instagram reel with me. 

• My trusted prayer partner and writing friend, Edie, asks me each morning, “How can I pray for you?”

• When I’m feeling wobbly, I can hold onto the beautiful truth of God’s steadfast love. (Psalm 90:14 ESV)

I’m so grateful my chocolate indulgence opened my eyes to celebrate who I am and where I’m at today as a writer, even when life isn’t perfect. 

What about you, my friend? What reasons do you have to cue the confetti? 

TWEETABLE

Celebrate Your Writing Progress Even When Life Isn’t Perfect from @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s authored 15 novels and novellas, both contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Beth is a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a  RITA® finalist. Her newest contemporary romance novel, Dedicated to the One I Love, released June 20, 2023. Her novel Things I Never Told You, book one in her Thatcher Sisters Series by Tyndale House Publishers, won the 2019 AWSA Golden Scroll Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at BETHVOGT.COM.