1. Just because you’re not feeling confident about your work right now doesn’t mean it isn’t good work.
2. Haters gonna hate. Let them be miserable; don’t let them make YOU miserable.
3. The whole point of a first draft is to write something. It might be good. It might be terrible. Doesn’t matter. It just has to be something.
4. If you write because it’s what you want to do, then you’re already doing it “right.”
5. Your friends and family don’t have to like what you write. But if they don’t support you, look for support from people who will lift you up no matter what.
6. The moments you want to quit the most are (usually) the moments you need to push yourself just a little harder.
7. Writing is work. It’s okay to struggle. It’s NORMAL to struggle.
8. It’s okay to take a break.
9. It’s okay to ask yourself what would happen if you quit.
10. It’s okay to question why you even started this project in the first place.
11. As long as you take a deep breath and keep trying anyway.
12. Even on the days you don’t think you can write all the things, you can. If no one else believes in you, you have to do your best to believe in yourself.
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.
Meg Dowell Writes 