Later today, students in my Camp Structure course will complete a powerful year-end D.E.P.A.R.T. exercise during a sacred last-class ceremony where they’ll claim their wins and prepare for what’s next. I recommend this exercise to every writer, so I’m sharing it below.
But first, here’s an update on this year’s Giveaway for Good prize extravaganza.
As I mentioned in last week’s post, I started this campaign in 2020 to bring light into the dark times we were facing. Every year, writers tell me how much it means to them. Katie Daley recently told me this newsletter and the giveaway are “her weekly vitamins for her soul.” This year, she supported three literary nonprofits (Lake Erie Ink, Literary Cleveland, and Wick Poetry Center) along with the SFO Coalition for the Homeless. Terrie Wurzbacher not only donated to The Women’s Initiative (one of my favs.), but she’s also volunteering for Abode, an organization I wrote about earlier this year.
These are just two of the many emails I’ve received in response to this year’s giveaway, which has already raised over $3,000 in support of thirty-one organizations. That means I’m giving away five one-year subscriptions to this Substack, where you get quarterly invitations to my Ask Me Anything sessions. But the more you donate, the more I give. At $5,000, I’ll add a 30-minute coaching session. If we reach $7,500, a one-hour coaching session will be included. At $10,000, I’ll toss in a one-hour coaching session with a ten-page manuscript evaluation. If we hit $13,000, I’ll give away a twenty-five-page manuscript evaluation on top of everything else. No gimmicks. No upsells. Just generosity for generosity’s sake, because damn it, we need reminders that while life might be uncertain, we are in it together, and we are the light in each other’s lives.
Here’s how to enter this year’s Giveaway for Good:
- If you haven’t already done so, sign up for a free subscription to this Substack.
- Donate $25 (or more) to a charity of your choice.
- Click the button below to send me a screenshot of your receipt.
- Each receipt awards you one ticket for my 2024 Giveaway for Good prize extravaganza.
- Donations made between November 15, 2024, and December 19, 2024, are eligible for the giveaway.
- The more donations you make, the more tickets you can earn. You can also earn extra tickets by donating $100 or more or donating to my favorite charities. (See last week’s post, or click here.)
- Prizes will be awarded on 1/7/2025.
- If you’re financially strapped, you can still play along. Click here for the details.
Now, let me share my powerful D.E.P.A.R.T. exercise.
D.E.P.A.R.T. is an acronym I created to help you systematically acknowledge your accomplishments, integrate what you’ve learned, and prepare for what’s next. Here’s what it stands for:
- Determine what you’ve learned and completed.
- Evaluate how well you mastered each skill or task.
- Pause and rest.
- Assess what’s next and set a new goal.
- Research any resources you’ll need to achieve it.
- Take the next step.
Here’s how to successfully D.E.P.A.R.T. 2024:
First, jot down your 2024 goals. Next, record the skills you’ve learned from the books you’ve read, the classes you’ve taken, and the activities you’ve completed. Finally, write down what you’ve accomplished.
Once you’ve recorded everything, do the following:
Pick your favorite song and hold a one-song dance party. After your dance party, read your list of accomplishments out loud, write them on your goal board, and give yourself a round of applause. Look at what you’ve done! That’s incredible.
Next, rate each skill you’ve learned on a scale of 1 to 5, where a 5 means total mastery. If you rate any skills a 3 or lower, review your notes, then rewrite them in your own words or revisit the material in some other way. If the skill is related to the class, go back to your course materials or, if possible, ask the instructor for clarification.
Finally, assess your goals. What did you hope to accomplish in 2024? Rate how far you got on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means you rocked it! Celebrate the wins, but don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t tick everything off your to-do list. Some years, we excel in our goals, while others are filled with so many detours and setbacks we barely get started. Instead, get curious about what got in the way. What can you learn from your setbacks? How can you use your newfound wisdom to plan an easier, more fruitful new year?
After you’ve identified the lessons you learned, select the days at the end of this month or early next month when you will rest and perhaps do a digital detox.
Once you’ve set that time aside, make some 2025 goals and research what you need to do to accomplish them.
If it’s time to start a new project, you might want to trade your critique group for one focused on accountability until you’ve completed your first draft.
If you’re struggling to cut backstory or reduce your word count, consider a retreat or a class that can teach you what to cut and how to write more effective sentences. (Stay tuned for more on this in early 2025.)
Lastly, identify a tentative start date for your new project or goal.
If you’re interested in more support or tools that can help you refine your goals, sign up for Thrive in 2025, a 2-hour webinar designed to help you direct your energy toward your dreams, no matter what’s happening in the world. Just send me the receipt for your donation to your favorite charity. That’s it.
Until next week, may the work you do to D.E.P.A.R.T. 2024 help you always write on.
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