When WRA owner and fellow writer Rebecca Laffar-Smith gave me this title as a topic for a blog post, I teased her a little bit: “Can you fit one more social media buzz word into that headline?”

But it sparked inspiration and soon, I was off to write. Sharing great ideas is just one thing Rebecca and I do together as fellow freelance writers. We also use each other as “accountability partners”.

How does that work, you ask? What exactly is an accountability partner?

An accountability partner holds you accountable for finishing the writing you’ve made a commitment to yourself to complete.

I don’t get writer’s block. I’d go so far as to say writer’s block doesn’t exist — unless you believe it does. I don’t get writer’s block (ever) because I’m motivated by three factors:

• Money
• Deadlines
• My writing friends (“accountability partners”)

Money & Deadlines
The first two go hand-in-hand. As a full-time freelance writer, I get assignments from clients (private clients, website owners, or magazines). They give me deadlines, I meet them, I get paid. With a mortgage to pay, bellies to feed, and a toddler to clothe (not to mention a mild shopping addiction), that’s all the motivation I need to write.

But I also have a few private writing projects in the works: eBooks, writing courses and a non-fiction book I want to shop around to print publishers. How do I stay motivated to complete these projects, knowing there’s no immediate return-on-investment (ROI)? That’s where my accountability partners come in.

Writing Friends
Some resources recommend prioritizing your writing tasks by setting “fake deadlines” for yourself to beat writer’s block. These don’t work for me. I know they’re fake, and my immediate ROI projects take precedence over fake deadlines.

But when I ask a writing colleague — like Rebecca — to hold me accountable, I feel a sense of shame when I have to tell her I didn’t meet the deadline we agreed upon. You can set up this arrangement with your accountability partner in any way that works for you: monthly updates / progress reports, weekly deadlines to a complete a project, or daily word count quotas.

Where to Find Accountability Partners
Writing is a solitary profession. If you don’t already have a network of fellow writers, start building one today. Where? Here are a few suggestions:

Writer’s Round-About - Right here at WRA is a great place to start. Comment below and start building relationships with our staff writers and regular visitors. I’ll volunteer some time to be an accountability partner to any non-fiction / freelance writer who asks. (If you sign on as one of my writing coaching clients, I’ll become your accountability partner as part of the deal.)

Twitter – Just as the #FollowFriday meme has become a great way to find people to follow, #WriterWednesday helps connect you with writers to build your online network. You’ll need to follow a few writers in order to meet more. I recommend following one or two writers with a “list” of other writers, follow that list, and watch your network grow.

The forums at AbsoluteWrite.com – Fiction writers, freelance writers, Web content writers, non-fiction authors and more gather in the AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler, the website’s huge forum. I met Rebecca there years ago, and it’s still one of the best places for writers to hang out in cyberspace.

The list could go on… Where are your favorite places (online and off) to meet writers and how do your writer friends help you?