A friend asked me this morning how my ten day challenge went. I told her I had written 13,000 words instead of the stipulated 20,000. Her response? ‘That’s a shame.’

It got me thinking about how it’s been ingrained into us to celebrate the big successes, never the smaller or partial ones. Sure, living out a life where you never achieve your goals can be a hollow one, but as writers, I think we have an amazing bit of leeway. Every word written and minute spent at the desk is an affirmation to our writing lives. And we should celebrate them.

So once the high of declaring your new year’s resolution is gone and you’re in the shaky territory that comes afterwards, remember to revel in all of your successes.

Bring on 2015!