Meg Dowell Writes

1. Every writer starts out with a blank page and no paycheck.

2. Bad ideas are better than no ideas.

3. It’s OK to fail; some people never even try.

4. Just because you aren’t making money doesn’t mean your work doesn’t matter.

5. Sometimes, technology breaks. It’s trying to tell you that you need a break (not TO break) too.

6. Some people are nice. Some aren’t. It’s probably not your fault either way.

7. It doesn’t have to be perfect to get published. It just has to be something on its way to getting closer.

8. You can work hard without working all the time.

9. We all make mistakes. And then we write stories about them and occasionally people really like reading those kinds of stories, so it all works out.

10. You don’t have to try to be ‘as good as’ another writer. Just be your best (and make your best great).

11. Just because Lin-Manuel Miranda is working on 200 projects at once doesn’t mean you should.

12. You’ll probably write a few dozen versions of different stories until you finally publish one. It’s called practice.

13. Not everyone is going to like you/your writing/your style/your characters. Their loss.

14. Just because your family doesn’t read your blog doesn’t mean they don’t love and support you.

15. You’re getting there. One step at a time. Just breathe. And keep writing.

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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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