Carrot or Stick — What’s Your Reward for Writing?

Carrot. Stick. Carrot. Stick.

There you are. You’re about to sit down and march through two hours of writing. Maybe 200 or maybe 2,000 words in that two hours. You’ll backspace, delete and tap through paragraph after paragraph. The characters will want one thing. You’ll want another. Until, when the cooking timer rings and you look up and, boom, another two hours of writing done.

So, what’s your reward for finishing those two hours? For that matter, do you reward yourself after a good bit of prose?

I do. Actually, I have two.

The first is that I gloat about what I’ve just written to my wife. She nods her head, points out flaws and gets me thinking about the next writing session. However, usually, once done, I get the carrot. The two hours with the keyboard and characters is the stick.

The second: five Oreos and a large, cold glass of milk. Really. That’s my material reward.

Now, I know. I’m not 9 years old. And five Oreos are the dietary equivalent of jamming a large cork into an artery. However, that’s my reward.

If I’ve felt I’ve done well. And, eight times out of 10, I usually do well. If I haven’t, then that’s what revisions are for.

So, fess up. Carrot or stick – what’s your reward for a good writing session?

Popularity: 6% [?]