January IWSG: Show me the grit...

Welcome to another Insecure Writer's Support Group post! I must apologise for how late this post is - I'm a day behind this week, as we had a training day on Monday and the kids came back in on Tuesday so my routine has been thrown. I totally thought all of yesterday was Tuesday until a parent told me otherwise...whoops.

Anyway, firstly - if you'd like to get involved with IWSG, you can find out all about this lovely group on their official website. I strongly recommend you take the take to visit all the other awesome blogs out there on the list - they tend to be more punctual than me.

I don't have any insecurities to share with you this month. That's not to brag, it's just the truth - I haven't done much writing since before Christmas, so really, my main goal this month is just to get back into the routine of blogging and writing again. Whenever I have been writing, I've been working on my new project that I've been writing just for me, and if I'm honest, I'm still in that honeymoon everything-is-wonderful phase. No doubt the feeling will wear off soon enough, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy actually enjoying what I'm writing.

Actually, the main thing I wanted to share with you all today is a concept that we strongly promote throughout my school - grit. I'm not talking about tiny rocks - I'm talking about grit and determination. Every single day, we encourage the children to never give up, and to keep going, no matter how hard they might find the challenge. The look on a child's face when they accomplish something they never thought they would achieve is simply amazing. It honestly makes my job worthwhile.

But it's only recently that I've started to use this concept in my own writing and indeed, in my life goals. Instead of throwing in the towel when things get tough, I've found myself taking a step back and thinking, 'okay, this is the problem. What can I do to solve it?' And when I've worked through a difficult scene, or that character that's given me issues, or even when I've finished a draft - there's nothing like that rush of thinking, I did it. Seriously, I think I am forever indebted to my school and the children and the staff there for teaching me this valuable lesson. Grit is something that everyone needs, no matter what job you have or where life chooses to take you. But I think that as authors, especially self-published ones, we find it easier to throw in the towel and quit, because we're not answerable to anyone but ourselves.

So the next time you feel like giving up your writing - don't. Show your grit and determination to get the job done. You can do it. Below is a video also about grit that I found online - I could't find the one I saw in school on Monday, but I love this one anyway. Even if it is mainly talking about grit in children, I found myself relating to large parts of this video. It's only five minutes long, so if you've got a spare couple of minutes with a cup of tea, watch it and let me know what you think.

I'm going to leave you with two quotes from the video that I think will resound with authors everywhere:

"Grit is passion and perseverance for long term goals."

"Talent doesn't make you gritty."

Who else wants that last quote on a mug or a t-shirt? I know I do!

Do you show grit and determination in your writing? What did you think of the video? How's your writing going this month?