Veterans and newbies, welcome to Round Two! ROW80 is a learning experience, those of us who took part in the first round found that out – and if you’re a first-timer then the old sponsor posts are a must read. Last time I was all about focusing on our own personal goals, after all that’s what ROW80 is about. Keep sight of what you want to do rather than concentrating on what everyone else is doing. I’ve learned this one the hard way. 🙂
This time, I’m going to encourage you to visit the group of writers taking part – particularly the ones you don’t already know. Writing can be a lonely activity sometimes, but a challenge like this one gives you a ready-made community to draw strength from. We’re all at different stages, we all have different dreams and goals and ideas of success – so no comparing – but we’re also full of advice, encouragement and inspiration. If you hit a low point when you feel a little discouraged (it happens), maybe take a look at how the other participants reach their goals, how they draw inspiration, what keeps them going when they want to give up, and you might get some tips that will help you on your way.
I challenge you to reach out to your fellow ROW80ers. Support them and they will support you right back. We might write alone, but we can always take a break together. We’ll hit walls but have help knocking them down, we’ll get stuck in ruts but know we have plenty of helping hands to drag us back on our feet. The #ROW80 twitter hashtag is a good place to keep up regularly with the ROW80 tweeting fiends and even commenting on a regular blog post can give someone the warm and fuzzies. Besides, you never know when you’ll connect with your next critique partner/beta reader/collaborator.
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