As writers, we often feel that we don’t do enough. We don’t put enough hours into our writing,

we don’t do enough research before writing, and we don’t publish enough. When you finish a

piece of writing, give yourself a pat on the back: You finished a piece of creative writing—

something many attempt, but not quite as many achieve. I recently finished a manuscript called

Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth. I collaborated on it with the

Norwegian Artist, Irene Christensen. It’s a collection about the climate crisis and women at the

heart of it. I feel good about completing it.

Some writers consider the worth of their writing in the published pieces, but others don’t even

attempt to publish. The reward for them is in the process. You can share your writing at an

open-mic reading. You can post it online or bring it to an in-person writing group for

constructive critique. You can send it to a friend.

You can send it to a literary journal or an agent for possible publication, but that’s a topic for

another blog. As writers, we need to acknowledge our accomplishments for ourselves.

I’ll be blogging Thursdays about the writing process. Follow me here.