1. It’s about more than just telling stories.

2. You will always be balancing your writing with at least a dozen other things — people, jobs, your health, etc.

3. Most people never become “famous” writers even if they do become successful.

4. It kind of feels like everyone’s doing it but that may not actually be true.

5. Talking about writing something and actually writing something are two very different things.

6. A lot of people have written things like yours, but not exactly like your things.

7. There are no “original” ideas, just different angles.

8. Asking for money/more money is terrifying but you have to get used to it.

9. It’s OK to have a day job, or a night job, or a bunch of jobs that aren’t writing so you can support your writing.

10. The struggle is real and you have a right to admit you’re struggling.

11. Success happens after years of consistent hard work. Most people will never see that, but you’ll remember it.

12. If it’s really the life you want, you will find a way to make it work. Always.

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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