It’s your dream to be on the writing staff of a television show or to sell your feature film script. Until that happens, you’re working a day job, grabbing spare moments to write. So, how do you stay motivated until your breakthrough?

 One of the best ways to stay motivated is to have a simple goal in front of you that you’re trying to reach.

This could be creating an application for a contest or fellowship. Use that entrance deadline as a ticking clock to keep you moving on your script. As you set goals, challenge yourself. Instead of thinking, “I’m going to work on this new project,” break down the steps by creating a timeline for it, starting with how long you want to spend on your outline.

It’s surprising how having a goal in front of you makes it easier to keep on task. When you hit a goal, reward yourself; take time to enjoy your accomplishment — however big or small — then get back to work on reaching the next one.

Join a writers’ group

 Being part of a writers’ group is a great way for creatives to support each other and stay motivated. Whether you’re in Los Angeles or a small town in Wisconsin, there are people with a love for writing around you. If you can team up with other screenwriters, great. If not, your screenwriting can still benefit from input from playwrights, poets and novelists. Regular meetings will push your productivity; you’ll need to present new material each time, and feedback from fellow writers can spark new energy in a project that you might be feeling stuck on.

Get an accountability partner

 Writing can be lonely and keeping ourselves on task can become difficult. Social media, household chores or chatting with people at the local coffee shop can all be distractions from working on your script with your butt in the chair. This is where an accountability partner can help.

An accountability partner is someone with whom you check in regularly, usually with a phone call to touch base on what you’re working on and what you want to accomplish.

Partner with a fellow writer or an actor, director or producer. Keep each other on task each time you touch base and stay positive with encouragement; positivity can make a major difference when someone’s motivation meter is on low. You can also choose an accountability partner who is not in the industry. Avoid going with a close friend or signification other, though; they can be too easy on you.

Celebrate your friends’ success

 There is joy and sadness in seeing your friends succeed; while it’s wonderful to see them advance, it can become a moment that hits you hard and this can grind down your motivation.

Get rid of that negative narrative in your head. The road may seem long and the finish line far, but look how far you’ve come — you might very well surprise yourself. Everyone’s path in this industry is different. The biggest takeaway from seeing your friends rise is knowing that people can break through and find a place in entertainment. Use that thought to keep pushing yourself to work on your craft.

Focus on what you can control

 So many elements about building a writing career are out of your control; you can get caught up worrying about the competition or stress about how to find a manager or an agent. The uncertainty can pull you away from the real tasks that will help your career move forward.

Write. Write. Write. Showrunner after showrunner has said new writers striving to break in get stuck talking about writing instead of actually doing it. Go out and network. Meet other writers who are trying to get their starts. Support each other. Grow together. Go out and create something of your own. It doesn’t have to be a big feature; team up with friends and make a super low-budget short. Film a skit. Put it online.

Know this: People are paying attention to what you’re doing. If you grind, continuously generate material and are genuinely friendly and giving, you’ll have much better chances of getting ahead when you do have to face the matters you can’t control.

Build a routine

 It can get overwhelming to put in a full day of work then feel forced to write when you’re completely drained; you feel like there’s zero creative juice left in you after a long day. But if you build a writing routine, you will find your body and mind jumping on board with creativity.

Get up early. Write on your lunch break. Every evening, set a clock and write for an hour before bed.

The first several days can be a slog but before you know it, you’ll find yourself anxiously looking forward to lunch to work on your latest script; your mind and body will easily transition into creative mode. After that quick writing burst, you’ll even discover you’re energized and ready to tackle the rest of your day. By repeating this routine, you’ll encourage a built-in motivation system that you can just keep growing.

Remember to have fun

Most likely, you write because you love it; there’s something about creating a new world and diving into juicy characters that drives you.

Think of why you’re doing what you’re doing. When you’re bogged down, go back to the reasons you write and the story you want to tell. Remind yourself of the passion you had that ignited the spark to begin a project.

As Jordan Peele said when discussing his creative process for Get Out, “I developed this mantra when I was writing, designed to break me out of writers’ block. It was, “follow the fun.” If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.”