Choosing Your 2021 Pledge

[gywomod]

With GYWO 2021 Pledges opening this weekend, which pledge you're choosing is hopefully on your mind. Instead of letting everyone stew in their personal hells, we’re running down a few of the common things the mods tell panicked participants, and then offering the comments section as an opportunity for members and future members to talk to each other about their concerns and hopefully help each other come to a pledging decision!

If you're new to GYWO and have a question related to our membership requirements, general guidelines, monthly check-ins, or what words or activities count, please visit our website. More information about pledging for 2021 will be released the weekend of Dec 11.

Word Count Pledge Vs Habit Pledge
Deciding between a Word Count Pledge or Habit Pledge can be a difficult decision. Here are some things to consider as you make your choice:

• If tracking your word count is stressful or confusing, try one of the Habit Pledges. You’ll only need to keep track of the number of days you write, instead of all those fiddly words.
• If you want to emphasize the habit of your writing life—encouraging yourself to write x-number of days a month or a week—a Habit Pledge might make more sense. With a Word Count Pledge, it’s easier to write in sustained sprints to reach your goal, but a Habit Pledge forces you to write more days than you might with a Word Count Pledge.
• If you are planning to have a year that focuses on revising or on planning stories, a Habit Pledge might be right for you. The Habit Pledges allow you to count days you work on recorded creative writing activities beyond drafting or revising, including outlining, written brainstorming, and completing world building or character sheets. Our website has more details about the Habit Pledges and further explains what writing activities count toward this pledge.
• You could, potentially, miss a Habit Pledge by running out of days in the year. The highest Habit Pledge allows missing up to 15 days, which doesn’t give much wiggle room for accomplishing the pledge later in the year. The Word Count Pledges offer more flexibility since you can catch up at (nearly) any time.
• If you’re already consistent (and happy) with your writing habit, choose a Word Count Pledge to continue to challenge yourself and grow your writing life.
• If you've completed a Word Count Pledge multiple times, but don't think you can hit the next highest Word Count Pledge, consider working on your writing habit this year with a Habit Pledge.
• While you must pick one pledge for GYWO, you can unofficially keep track of a secondary pledge. Your secondary pledge may give you information about choosing a pledge for a future year!

Habit Pledges
Choosing between Habit Pledges comes down to deciding how much you plan to write each month:

• If you plan to write mostly on weekends, choose the 120 Day Pledge. That’s weekends + 16 days.
• If you plan to write mostly on weekdays, choose the 240 Day Pledge. That’s weekdays – 20 days, giving you a few days off.
• If you want to write every day, choose the 350 Day Pledge!
• If you haven’t tried writing daily before but want to, we recommend the 240 Day Pledge as a way to ease into a semi-daily writing habit before tackling the Master Pledge.

Word Count Pledges

First Time with a Word Count Pledge?
If you’ve never tracked your word count for the year, take a moment to assess how many words you think you’ve written in the past year. Consider things like whether or not you participate in NaNoWriMo (50K), how much you’ve published in the last year (self or traditionally published, fanfic, blog, etc), and how much you tend to revise your work (writing it entirely over or just editing lines).

• If meeting your goal is more motivating, choose a goal that matches a conservative estimate of how much you wrote in 2020.
• If you think you’ll lose interest if you meet your goal early, choose a goal that matches a liberal estimate of how much you wrote in 2020.
• There are no penalties for not meeting your pledge, so don’t be afraid to choose a pledge that you may not be able to meet!

If you’ve done GYWO before but aren’t certain which goal you want, you’ve likely narrowed it down to two goals. Here’s our advice for choosing between two word count goals…

Go Big on Word Counts

• If you wrote more than 50,000 words above your 2020 GYWO pledge level, choose the next pledge level up.* You've already "beaten" it once, so do it again officially.
• If having a big goal motivates you, choose the bigger goal you're between. There's no penalty for not meeting your goal, so if having the big carrot will push you to write, set yourself up with the most motivating goal.
• If you look ahead and see a lot of free time, a more relaxed year, or fewer obstacles between you and your writing time, choose the bigger goal you're between. Just keep an eye out for unexpected things that might take away that time!

*This advice is somewhat dubious if you are currently pledging 75K or 350K

Step Back on Word Counts

• If you wrote 50,000 words below your 2020 GYWO pledge level, consider the next pledge level down if knowing that you will meet your pledge is more motivating to you.*
• If having a big goal intimidates you, choose the lesser goal you're between. It's great if you write above your pledge level, so if hitting your pledge early will keep you in a happy writing mood, set yourself up for success.
• If you look ahead and see a lot of non-writing projects, a major life change (moving house, changing jobs, getting married, having a child, etc), or another serious obstacle between you and your writing time, choose the lesser goal you're between. While life can be unpredictable (which we all know, thanks to 2020), there are some things we can predict, so there's no reason to stress out about your word count on top of your real life.

*This advice is somewhat dubious if you are currently pledging 75K or 150K.

Keep Your Word Count Consistent

• If you're going to hit your 2020 GYWO pledge level within the month of December and it was a comfortable pace, keep it the same! The community goal is to keep you writing, so if your 2020 pledge level works for you, let it work for you in 2021.
• If you came close to hitting your 2020 pledge level or it was a challenge to make it, this might be the right pledge level to try again in 2021.

The best advice we have is to look at your schedule and figure out where writing fits into it. List out the projects, ficathons, and stories you might write next year and consider the word tallies or time involved. Really think about what's motivating for you—knowing you'll hit a goal or chasing down the finish line.

In the comments, let us know your pledging woes! Wonder how difficult another pledge is? Still need clarity on the pledge types? This is your opportunity to ask. After some discussion, hopefully you'll come away with a confident decision.

Note: Commenting to this post does not constitute pledging for 2021. Come back this weekend and follow the instructions in the Pledges & Requirements post to make a pledge for 2021.

Comments

[garonne]

Great idea on unofficially keeping track of a second pledge! I'm going to try that this year.

[theemdash]

Do recommend!! And the official pledge trackers have the tracking built in for word count (Habit Tracker) or day count (Word Count Tracker).

[chelseagirl]

This was my second year. I chose the Habit Pledge, 240 days. The first year, I managed 160+ days (my job is demanding and I was publicizing my first book that had come out) and felt really frustrated at my failure to come closer to goal. The second year, I thought I'd do better, so I signed up for 240 days again. Well, in February, I had a cough/exhaustion that lasted 3 weeks. At the time, I thought it couldn't be THAT, but in retrospect I wonder. Then NYC went into serious shut-down, my job moved us to working from home, and instead of using that extra time at home to write, like many others, I fell into an overwhelmed state.

I was delighted when the GYWO team offered us the chance to change our pledges, because 2020. I changed mine to 120 days. I'm going to come in a bit ahead of that, though not much (my November check-in was 119 days), but it felt really comforting not to be so far behind. I would like to up my writing time, but I've decided to stick with 120 days for 2021, and focus on beating my 2020 total. Although there are no consequences to not meeting my pledge, somehow right now I need the affirmation of seeing that I'm meeting goals. I'll build for the next year or two, and hopefully jump onto 240 when I've developed better habits.

[theemdash]

That is such a great decision. This year was unexpected in so many ways. Some people were able to escape into writing while others were completely stuck. I didn't want to drag everyone down by talking about the terror that was 2020 in the post, but I think everyone should consider that the first half of 2021 may look a lot like 2020 while vaccines roll out.

I'm so glad you were able to embrace a pledge and find out that aiming for something achievable is the most motivating thing for you. (I think that's true of most of our writers.)

[craterdweller]

Even though Habit Tracker is more accurate for what I am trying to achieve - realistically I know I am far more motivated by word count. I thought about pledging habit but still tracking words, but I tried that once before and it wasn't the right fit for me. Leaning towards Word Count Light again. One of these years the stars will align and I will make it :D

[theemdash]

Counting words is so much more motivating for me, even though I sometimes fall into the rut of "Need Word Count, Write Anything" and then I write nothing, words to throw away. So it's got two sides to it. But ultimately, knowing what is most motivating for you (and then knowing your weaknesses) is the best path forward.

[craterdweller]

So my husband reminded me that my new job can have up to 60% travel. Since I was hired during the pandemic, I haven't had to do any travel, but with the possibility that at some point in 2021 I may be on the road a lot, I've done an about-face on my pledge. I think it makes more sense to do the smallest habit pledge and then track word counts as an extra motivator.

[theemdash]

Oooh, yes. Normally we list travel as a consideration, but uh, I edited that for this coming year... :/

[dhamphir]

I really wish there was a 4th habit level. I easily made it past 120 days, but there's no way I can do 240.

I'd love to see a goal in between of 180! Every other day. :)

Just to clarify, I didn't actually write every other day this year. Due to health reasons, I don't/can't write much during the really hot months in the summer. So I lose a lot of time then. Losing 3-4 months' time makes it almost impossible for me to jump from the 120 days to double at 240 days. So that's why the 180-day goal would be really good for me. A stretch, but achievable.

[theemdash]

We have a list of pledges to eventually add and that's one of them, but adding new pledges is a lot of work on the backend which is unfortunately still all manual. Hang tight and in a few years you'll see some new pledges to fill the gaps.

[dhamphir]

Nice to know it's at least on the list. :)

[velithya]

I changed to a 120 day habit pledge this year in a bid to start and keep an ongoing habit of writing regularly... and then COVID and lockdowns and everything got very hard! I did achieve my pledge this year but I haven't actually made a habit at all... so on the one hand, yay! But on the other hand... I don't have any surety that I will still be able to write regularly as work starts returning and I have other commitments... I'm thinking I might just stay at 120 day habit through 2021 and try again to form a regular writing habit before looking at changing anything else! OTL

[theemdash]

Honestly, I think it's a wise decision to pick a goal that is kind to yourself for 2021.

[runicmagitek]

Also chiming in to say I'd love to see a 180 day habit pledge! 120 is no problem from me, but the jump to 240 is really difficult. I might've hit 240 days this year, but you know. 2020 happened D: doubt it's going to get better right out of the gate with 2021, so probably going to stick with the 120 habit pledge.

Also also thumbs up for tracking word count as a secondary thing! I've been doing that this year and it's been nice to have that on record for myself despite it not being a GYWO goal.

[theemdash]

Cross my heart, 180 days is planned, but we have to have the time and resources to build out the website so pledging and check-ins can be automated.

[nerakrose]

I already knew before 2020 that whichever pledge I chose I wasn't going to be able to achieve it because I had to focus on finishing my master's degree. Well, I did finish my master's degree (with a distinction!), and I have done *some* writing, but honestly some of the time I've been writing this year I haven't actually recorded it in my spreadsheet because having to keep track of writing when writing was already hard was...not happening. (probably it's a matter of my official count being off by maybe 5-7 days, I don't know. I don't know what time is anymore.)

That's just to say I will be signing up next year with the same pledge (120D habit) because a) I cannot and will not track word counts at all anymore and b) I am a creature of habit so like to stick to the same things when I can? IDK. I don't expect I'll complete the pledge next year either, and probably that will partially be due to the fact that I just won't be updating the spreadsheet every time.

All that is to say is that the kindest thing I can do for myself is to just not worry about recording my progress at all. I'll submit guesstimates for check-ins if I don't have anything else.

[theemdash]

And estimates are 100% accepted here. For some people, tracking is very motivating, and for others, much less so but they still need some accountability. (Or it's useful one year, but not the next.) Absolutely pick a pledge and recording method that is healthy and useful for yourself. ♥

Oh, and: CONGRATS!!

[nerakrose]

tracking used to be super motivating for me! I love being able to see visual progress. This year has been a complete outlier. Glad to know estimates are acceptable ♥

Thanks!! :)

[newsbypostcard]

I've given my 2021 goals a lot of thought. Last year I pledged 350k and blew past it, so this year I pledged 500k—which I definitely won't meet. But again I blew past 350k in October, so I'm definitely one of those who hopes for an in-between goal in the low 400k region someday. In the meantime I'll be signing up for 500k again, though again I don't think I'll make it. 350k is not quite a challenge for me, so I set my personal spreadsheet goal at 425k and found that a comfortable balance between challenging and doable. Excited for next year—my writing habits have changed so dramatically in the past couple years for the better thanks to this challenge. Thanks for all you do, and hoping you find 2021 restful!

[theemdash]

Glad to hear you're using the customization in the tracker to fill the gap while there is one!

[incognitajones]

I met my pledge target (150,000 words) only because I had a lot of unexpected free time in the spring/summer. I doubt I can reach that again in a “normal” year, but 75,000 words seems too low, so I’m struggling to decide what to pick. Would definitely support adding an in-between level of 100,000 or 120,000 words in the future!

[theemdash]

Would switching to a Habit Pledge make sense for you this year?

[incognitajones]

I was considering that, but tracking word count is much more motivational for me. I love seeing the numbers on the spreadsheet go up!

I might try for 150K again, with the mental note that’s a stretch goal and even reaching 2/3 of it would be an accomplishment.