On Accountability - and Why I'm Starting an Accountability Group for Memoirists

For so many writers, accountability is the #1 thing that pushes them over the finish line.

Accountability (noun | əˌkoun(t)əˈbilədē): the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

I am a responsible person. You probably are too. Adult lives in the modern age make it a near necessity to be so given the hundreds of tasks we have to be on top of in order to simply manage day-to-day. If you have children or take care of elderly parents, bless you. It’s a wonder we get through our days intact.

Being responsible to myself and my kid and my life doesn’t always allow for me to be responsible (ie, accountable) to the myriad things I want to do—like write my next book. By definition, accountability is the actual act of accepting responsibility for our actions, but where it pertains to goal-setting, it’s really the practice of setting up structure to ensure we see through the things we say we want to do. It’s the act of seeing through our commitments. Even if you’re good at doing what you say you’re going to do, sometimes you need a partner, a coach, a group to help you show up for yourself. I know because I have a habit of setting up these kinds of accountability structures for big projects. And I’m doing so again.

SHOW UP & WRITE (September - February) was born of my own need for accountability with my writing, and inspired by the many students and coaching clients I’ve had over the past many years who have been actively looking for writing and accountabilty groups. This one will take us through February, at which point we’ll take stock of where we are, how many words have been written, and whether we want to renew/recommit/continue.

What do I expect will happen? Honestly, I expect to finish a draft of my book. This is paramount to me. But there’s much more underpinning my desire to start this group. I expect I’ll be motivated by fellow writers; I expect magic to happen—because it always does when groups of like-minded people with common goals come together in pursuit of something meaningful; I expect connections to be forged among writers in the group, that writers will have epiphanies and make mad progress that we can celebrate together; I expect outcomes I can’t even imagine awaiting us on the other side of this experience, even if it’s months or years down the road.

If you’re a memoir writer looking for other journeyers, check out the details of SHOW UP & WRITE. It’s priced intentionally low at $99 to be accessible, but it costs something to honor the group’s value and your commitment to it. For that cost, I hold the space and do a short teachings at the top of each writing session as a way to set the tone and help us enter into the writing. All but one session a month are writing sessions; the final session of each month will be reserved for sharing and processing.

Questions? I welcome them! Want to join me? Please do. SHOW UP & WRITE is for you, for me, for us. Let’s get done what we say we’re gonna do. Let’s show up and write.

We start September 7 and meet every Thursday and Sunday through February. Show up when you’re able to. Join any time. More details at SHOW UP & WRITE.