1. Writing a flawless first draft (impossible).

2. Writing the most unique story ever.

3. Succeeding on your first try.

4. Being the first one/only one/best one.

5. Writing the next [insert very successful story franchise here].

6. Writing things your friends and family will read/love.

7. Other people’s opinions of your work/you.

8. Going viral for the sake of going viral.

9. Competing with other writers.

10. Writing well all the time. (Dare to write terribly, it’s good for you.)

11. Turning every single creative hobby into an income stream.

12. Always hitting the “perfect” word count.

13. Writing things you aren’t sure you’ll ever publish. (You SHOULD write these things, they are NOT a waste of time.)

14. Anything having to do with publishing if you haven’t even started writing a first draft yet. (First draft first, everything else comes later.)

15. Writing things everyone will find interesting. (This is why knowing your audience matters.)

16. Following every professional writer’s advice. (Not all of it is good advice, or advice that works for you.)

17. Breaking the writing rules you haven’t mastered yet.

18. Doing it all right now. (You have time. Pace yourself. Enjoy the ride.)

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.

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