1. You’ve always wanted to read a story like this. You just couldn’t ever find one.

2. It allows you to speak to your own life experiences without having to make it all about you and your life.

3. It makes you feel extremely vulnerable … but you sort of don’t mind.

4. The parts you don’t like, you only don’t like because you want them — and the story as a whole — to be the best it can possibly be.

5. You connect on a deep level with your characters … because parts of them are also parts of you.

6. You feel what your characters feel … because you’ve felt those feelings too.

7. Your story talks to you even when you’re not actively working on it.

8. You want to tell everyone you know about it, but you also kind of want to keep it to yourself. Like a secret that’s just too good to share.

9. You’re willing to trudge through those rough writing days because you know they’ll all be worth it when your story is finally finished.

10. Even when you do briefly consider giving up here and there, you don’t. You know your story is too good, too important to leave behind.

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.

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