Category: Writing Tips

3 Things to Do Immediately After Losing a Writing Job

At some point throughout your career as a writer, you will face rejection. Sometimes that comes in the form of losing a job or client.

Meg Dowell

At some point throughout your career as a writer, you will face rejection. Sometimes that comes in the form of losing a job or client. The income was there, and suddenly it isn’t. It’s common. That doesn’t make it easy.

Here’s how to respond when this form of tragedy strikes your writing life.

1. Enter crisis management mode before the adrenaline wears off.

You’re fresh off bad news, and your first instinct might be to shut everything down, go outside, and let the fresh air cleanse your emotions. (Or maybe your go-to response is to climb into bed and hide — whatever works for you.) But it’s not time to fall apart yet!

Though you may be emotional, you’re also running on adrenaline. This is a shock to your system, and your fight-or-flight response is kicking in. Take advantage of it. It may work out in your favor.

Reach out to any contacts you may have that could help you find work. Give your resume a quick check. Write down a few of your next steps, even if you don’t act on them right away.

Have a plan in place. Because this adrenaline will wear off, and if you don’t have a post-crash game plan, it’s going to be that much harder to get back on your feet. Possible, but unnecessarily challenging.

2. Jot down a few ideas for things you might write next.

Again, we’re capitalizing on the “oh no, I just lost a source of income” adrenaline rush here. This is not fun! But the writers who succeed in their respective fields are the ones who have ideas ready to go when they’re ready to crush it.

Before you take the (very necessary) time to sit with your feelings — that part comes next — partake in some good old-fashioned idea generation. Make a list of future pitches, story ideas, even good potential candidates for future submissions.

When you come back to your desk ready to take on the world, you’re going to need a place to start. Give your future self that place now.

3. Give yourself time and space to grieve.

Losing a job, client, gig, income source — whatever your particular loss may be — hurts.

It doesn’t matter how successful you are, how long you’ve been at this game, how tough of a skin you think you’ve generated over time. Not feeling wanted, needed, or appreciated is a real and common human fear. Nobody likes it. And it’s the exact way most people feel when they’re, in one way or another, removed from a writing project.

In order to jump back into the fray — writing is hard enough without the seemingly constant need to compete against other writers for work — you first need to allow yourself time and space to grieve what you’ve lost.

Take some time away from your desk. As much as you can afford. Spend time with your family. Read a good book or two. Instead of your goals, focus on the now. The things that matter the most to you — the things that likely won’t disappear in an instant. These are the reasons you’re working so hard. When you go back to work, remember them.

This may last an evening, a few days, or a week. But then it’s time to get back to writing.

When that time comes, you may not feel ready. Write anyway. When the least ideal outcome is the one we’re facing, the only way through it is to keep going — even when it’s hard.

Meg Dowell is the creator of Brain Rush, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words, and Not a Book Hoarder, celebrating books of all kinds. She is an editor, writer, book reviewer, podcaster, and photographer. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about nonsense and Star Wars.

To Be a Writer, You Must Do Some Writing

There is one way to be a writer. It’s not as complicated as you might think.

Meg Dowell

There are a lot of things you learn when you offer advice on the internet. One of them being that the best advice given on the internet is channeled through something like a blog or column — places where people choose to read (or not) your opinion and react accordingly (and this is something you intended to happen).

Possibly the most important thing I’ve learned about dishing out writing advice — sometimes on Twitter, which is always a mistake and never ends well for me — is that an alarming amount of people who fall into the “want to be a writer full-time” category have never published a single piece of writing anywhere. Ever.

The term “publishing” doesn’t hold quite the same meaning it did before the internet became a daily thing for most of us, but if we’re being honest, that change happened long before that. Before, if you wanted to be a published writer, you either had to submit something to a publication or hire an agent to do it for you.

That’s not how it is anymore — evidenced by the fact that what you are reading right now was created by me sitting down at my laptop, dusting off this website’s interior, writing a bunch of words, and hitting “publish.”

If it weren’t for the .com domain I pay for because -BRANDING-, this process would be free and would cost nothing but my time. If I took the time out of my day to list every free site that lets anyone anywhere host their own blog, I’d be here the rest of the day. Dinner would never get made. My kitchen would remain dirty. I might pass out from lack of hydration. You never know.

I’ve been publishing content on the internet since 2009, because high school me wanted to be an author and was obsessed with Meg Cabot, and because Meg Cabot was (is still) an author and had a blog, this Meg also needed one. I can’t say I regret it, though it did take a while for teenage me to understand that not everything needed to be shared online, even on a blog with 2.5 followers. There are a few more of you now, I’ve heard.

I’ve been around a long time, and trust me, I’m not old enough to forget what it’s like to want to write but to fear not the act of writing, but instead the possibility that someone might read it, or worse, have opinions about it.

But because that fear of being read never goes away (sorry to break it to you, but I’m also not), I must offer you yet another nugget of writing advice you’re going to hate. It’s my specialty.

Suck it up and publish your words.

Mean! Awful! How dare I! I know. I’m the worst.

But here’s the thing: So many people say they want to write for a living. But this is quite literally impossible if you never publish a single thing on the internet.

It’s not that you have to write every day (in fact, I strongly recommend not doing that — there’s a reason I stopped posting daily to this website in 2020). It’s not that you have to be published in The New York Times or BuzzFeed or whatever the “look ma, I made it” equivalent of these things are in 2022. You just have to publish something, Preferably many somethings. Good, bad, it doesn’t matter.

It. Doesn’t. Matter.

When I’m reviewing writing applications (with the aim of, yes, hiring writers to write words in exchange for currency — what a concept!), the first thing I look at is not the resume, or the reason someone wants the job (we all know it’s the currency, WE ALL KNOW). The first thing I look at are a candidate’s already published writing samples.

It does not matter to me where these samples are published. I’ve hired writers who have only ever published articles on Medium (free) or their own personal blogs that don’t get much traffic (can also be free). In fact, because I will never forget what it’s like to be in that awful space in life where you want to write but no one will let you do it for money, I make it a point, whenever possible, to recruit writers who aren’t already published in the NYTs or the BuzzFeeds.

Of course high-traffic bylines help. But speaking from experience, the only thing a writer needs to prove to me at first glance is that they can write.

If you have no proof, you have a very low chance of getting hired.

I understand that publishing content for free is hard. It’s draining. It takes a lot of time. And that’s all on top of the terror that often accompanies sending any of your words out into the void.

You have to do it anyway. If you want to write professionally in any capacity, you have to prove to anyone who might be looking that you are worth being hired.

This is not necessarily true for traditional publishing — the majority of manuscripts are not published before they’re sent to agents.

But if your goal is to freelance, or to become a staff writer somewhere, the only experience you have to prove you can do it is the content you publish yourself.

Which means you have to — actually — write — things.

This is challenging. I’m writing this post deep into a writing drought. I do not feel like writing. None of my ideas seem interesting. I have little desire to share my words with anyone, even myself.

Why am I writing anyway? Because I have to. If it weren’t my job, but I wanted it to be, I would also have to.

THAT is the mindset you must adopt if you want to become a writer.

It doesn’t matter what, where, how much, how often.

You must write.

That is, it turns out, the only way to be a writer.

Meg Dowell is the creator of Brain Rush, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words, and Not a Book Hoarder, celebrating books of all kinds. She is an editor, writer, book reviewer, podcaster, and photographer. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about nonsense and Star Wars.

You Can Fall In Love With Writing Again

When you do start to feel you no longer love what you do, remember this: If you ever loved it at all, you will always find your way back.

Meg Dowell

When did we all start believing that writing is always the perfect outlet for our … everything?

I have a difficult time ever recalling a mentor or a writer I admired from afar telling me that there would be stretches where I hated writing so much I’d want to quit.

I’d always assumed it would be difficult. Never that I would forget why I liked it.

Though no one ever said writing was easy — I’d personally like a word with those who have, I just want to talk — what many don’t realize when they sign up for this life is that being a writer isn’t always going to be a job you love.

In fact, there will be days you hate it. Months you feel you’re dragging yourself miserably through it. Spans of time you just … stop.

It’s those dark and dreary times I want to highlight here. I don’t know if you could say I’ve officially been trapped in one for the past year or so. But at some point I did largely scale back on how much I wrote per week.

And I barely missed it. Until recently.

I can’t say what brought me back to my desire to make words happen. Maybe it’s been there for a long time and I was too busy, too stressed, too focused on other projects to notice.

But honestly? For me, coming back to writing is the easy part.

The hard part will be continuing to remember why I want to stay.

And it takes a lot of effort to rediscover the reasons you started writing in the first place. Because day to day, sometimes they’re different. Some days it’s for your [potential] readers. Some days it’s for yourself. Your paycheck, if you’re lucky. Your ego, if you’re honest.

Beneath all that, though, is the one truth we all must cling to whether we’re currently actively writing or not: Back when you had nothing, and you put words onto pages, you did it not for the money, the people, the recognition — you did it because you wanted to. Because you loved it.

Deep down, you probably still do. I know I do.

Why, then, do we fall out of love with writing? Because it’s work. It’s exhausting. Even “fun” writing requires switching on a part of you that uses up more energy than you realize until after the fact.

Sometimes we realize we’re not getting out of writing what we need in the moment. And we decide we need to stop.

Just because you hit pause doesn’t mean you have to walk away forever.

When you do start to feel you no longer love what you do, remember this: If you ever loved it at all, you will always find your way back.

Like any kind of love, your connection to, care of, and passion for your writing will never be a constant, easy thing. Though you will always have and cherish it, challenges will arise. Uncertainty will surface. You will face moments in which you’ll wonder: “Is this really what I’ve always wanted?”

And that is the very definition of loving something — questioning whether or not we want or need it only to realize that though we may change, we may have doubts and insecurities, some things don’t alter and shift as we do.

However, unlike love — which, if nurtured properly, can ideally withstand the various ups and downs of the twisted, treacherous roads of life — writing is a different kind of constant. It often will not love you back. And when you walk away from it, it will wait patiently for your return without protest.

If you want to be a writer, you can always be exactly that. Writing requires work, but work is not all we do or all we are. When you take a break, whether short or extensive, you’re not any less of a writer than you were. As long as you intend to return to your work, rather than eternally existing in a state of “maybe tomorrow will be the day I seek out a blank page.”

Breaks are necessary. Vacations, hiatuses, pauses. “Resets.”

We sometimes look down upon these ideas when we should really be yelling about how essential, healthy, and rejuvenating they can be.

It’s often in the absence of the thing you love with all your heart and soul that you realize how much it really means to you.

I’m fairly confident that the most rewarding way to rediscover your love for writing is to walk away until you begin to wonder why you did. And THEN, once you’ve forgotten why you left … come back.

Don’t worry about jumping back into blogging or starting a new book or reconnecting with old clients or … any of that.

Just sit down, find a blank page — any one will do — and start writing.

Because that’s how your writing journey began, after all. You started with nothing, and through doing that you built something beautiful. Something you loved.

Start from your beginning. Remember why you did. And then keep going.

You won’t regret it.

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor, writer, podcaster, and photographer. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about nonsense and Star Wars.

You’re More Than Just a Writer

Even if writing ends up becoming a side project instead of your main hustle, you’re still the same you.

Meg Dowell1 Comment

In January 2019, I stopped being a writer.

I didn’t stop writing. Quite the opposite actually; I proceeded to write 1 million words over the 365 days that made up that year and I promise you, at some point, I will tell you why and how I did that … and why I’ll probably never do it again.

When I say I stopped being a writer, I really mean I stopped writing as a day job. I pretty much stopped getting paid to write.

Moving from a staff writing to an editing position at my place of employment was partially my choice and largely a means of filling a need at the company — one I was both more than qualified and happy to fill.

But it also meant I would no longer spend eight hours a day crafting my own words; instead, I’d be polishing someone else’s. Which was fine and, for the most part, still is over 2 years later.

What I didn’t know at the time was how challenging it would become to keep writing a large, if not the primary focus of my life once it no longer paid my bills. Not only did I have to find other outlets for my words, but also my creativity. I can’t just be happy with writing; I’ve done it for so long that it doesn’t always stimulate my needs the way it used to. Which is fine.

But the more I tried to vary my means of creative expression over the year that followed, the more I struggled to keep writing at the forefront not just of my to-do list, but of my list of passions as well.

I loved to write. I still do. I always will.

My identity, however, no longer rests solely in the fact that sometimes I write things, and every now and then they might be good things.

And that has made me happier than identifying myself as “a writer” ever has.

When we start on this journey of becoming the thing(s) we always dreamed of becoming, we teach ourselves to fear versatility. Granted, there are many people who function best when they focus on one thing. And there is NOTHING wrong wth that.

We can’t let it hold us back from making the most of our creative energy, though. Sometimes you just don’t feel like writing, or you know what you want to write but can’t seem to form the right words in the right order. Or life is just stressful and you’re too spent to even turn your laptop on.

Often times the reason we feel guilty or anxious when we’re not writing comes from our unintentional deprivation of active creativity. We’re not writing, so we think we can’t do anything else. But our brains are BEGGING us to do something. We have thoughts and ideas and energy and seemingly nowhere to put it.

I’ve found the best solution to this is to do the thing, or “a thing,” rather. Creativity takes endless forms. Drawing, even if badly (can relate). Singing (again, badly?), rearranging a bookshelf, SOMETHING.

The only warning label I’ll put on that is that you may accidentally discover, as I did the summer I started an Instagram account completely out of boredom, that even if you’re not good at a lot of things … you might really like exercising your creativity in more ways than just writing.

To avoid the existential crisis that can come with this epiphany, however, I’ll offer you this: Just because you don’t write all the time, or it’s not the only thing you do in your free time or otherwise, doesn’t mean your words or work or effort matter any less than they did before.

Even if writing ends up becoming a side project instead of your main hustle, you’re still the same you. Just with different priorities and maybe a new hobby or two.

You are not defined by one thing you do or say or think or represent. You can be as many or as few things as you want, and that doesn’t have to remain a constant. It can change daily if that’s what floats your canoe. Today, perhaps, you’re an aspiring writer reading this blog post wondering what you’re doing with your life. Tomorrow, maybe, you can be a hopeful creative seeking to define where you want to put your words and what you want them to mean.

Perhaps today I’m a former daily blogger who feels guilty for almost having quit this whole thing, having believed for a day too many that my words were meaningless and the world would be better off without them.

Tomorrow I might take 500 photos of my dog and bake a cake.

Why? Because my interests are many, my heart is full, and if I don’t write for 24 hours that simply means what it always should have — that writing is an important part of my life, but it is not all that I am.

Free yourself from this notion that we have to be an easily digestible thing to the masses. You are today what you choose to be, and that will always be enough.

Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor, writer, podcaster, and photographer. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about nonsense and Star Wars.

12 Reminders for the Writer on Hiatus — But Not By Choice

We don’t always choose to take a break. Sometimes stepping away is a necessity, not an option.

Meg Dowell1 Comment

1. You need this break.

2. You’re exhausted, or unwell, or your energy and time are needed elsewhere.

3. You are not a failure, you are not lazy, you are not weak.

4. In fact, creators who know their limits are probably the strongest and most successful of them all.

Continue reading “12 Reminders for the Writer on Hiatus — But Not By Choice” →

12 Struggles All Successful Writers Eventually Learn to Work Through

It’s OK to struggle! As long as you don’t give up.

Meg Dowell3 Comments

1. Being afraid to put your work out there. Like, it’s still scary most if not all of the time, but you get used to just dealing with it and doing it anyway! YAY FEAR!

2. Not knowing what to write about. (You eventually learn to either “just write anyway” or put in many practice hours into refining the art of “just

3. Determining which ideas are good and worth pursuing and which are not. It takes time to get the hang of this one, but as long as you remember that even bad ideas aren’t completely useless, you’ll be just fine.

4. Finishing what you start. There are going to be plenty of projects you start but never get around to finishing, but you’ll learn to make the ones you finish truly count — while also learning from the things you leave behind.

Continue reading “12 Struggles All Successful Writers Eventually Learn to Work Through” →

How to Write Stories That Scare You

Some stories are just meant to be written.

Meg DowellLeave a comment

I was not prepared to start writing another book. In fact, the idea of abandoning one project for another was so ridiculous that when the idea approached me I actually laughed out loud in an empty room … to myself.

“No,” I said. “Go away. I’m busy.”

I actually spoke these words, as if saying them out loud would convince the idea before me that it truly was not welcome here.

The trick did not work, of course. I am a busyness addict (not proud, just stating a fact). I never claim to be too busy for anything, especially when it comes to writing.

So what was really going on inside my head?

The truth — as much as I can reveal to you at this particular moment in time — was that as the idea began unfolding in my mind, taking up more space, expanding inside me to fill all the empty space reserved for random and passive thoughts, I quickly came to the realization that if I were to give it the level of attention it begged for, I would be heading into something I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle.

What I learned, not long after that, is that fear is strong. But so am I.

Continue reading “How to Write Stories That Scare You” →

Why Do Some Readers Give Writers Such Harsh Feedback?

Okay but did you have to say it like THAT?

Meg Dowell4 Comments

There isn’t a writer I know who isn’t even just a little curious about what others think of their work.

Most writers don’t do it exclusively for the feedback, but it’s sure a nice perk. Especially when you’re lucky enough to get compliments on something you’ve written.

But if you’ve been part of any online community for any extent of time, you already know compliments aren’t the only thing you’re subject to when you publish something on the internet. In fact, it’s almost certain that if something you create gets noticed by many people, it will receive criticism.

And sometimes that criticism … just isn’t nice.

Some people can give feedback in a gentle and well-meaning way, and that’s often much appreciated. But others just skip the advice and go straight for saying hurtful things. But there’s a reason for that.

Continue reading “Why Do Some Readers Give Writers Such Harsh Feedback?” →

You Don’t Have to Write Every Day — But You SHOULD Do This

It’s not great advice. But it’s often misinterpreted.

Meg Dowell5 Comments

“If you want to be a writer, you have to write every day.”

This is quite possibly the most controversial piece of writing advice out there. The reason it’s so widely debated is because many people fall into the “because it worked for me, it will work for everyone” trap.

Those highly inexperienced in the realm of giving advice assume that their methods are universal, and those with little experience in the activity or topic related to that advice don’t know any better than to take it to heart.

I personally write probably about 28 days out of every month, sometimes more depending on travel plans. I have found that I am at my best creatively and dare I say spiritually when I write. Writing, for me, is like exercise. It relieves anxiety and stress, improves my mood, and motivates me to accomplish more tasks. It also makes me feel like I’m making constant progress toward my writing goals, which steadies my confidence and just overall makes me a better person.

Because of my almost daily writing schedule, I have learned how to write despite surrounding chaos, push through the pain (yes, sometimes writing is painful), and have accomplished many things I am proud of in the past year alone.

However, I have never, and will never, tell people that they “must” write every day simply because it has worked for me. That wouldn’t just be irresponsible: It would be unfair. Whether they want to admit it or not, many aspiring writers are desperate, and they’re going to cling to any advice that “promises” them success. If someone tells them they can’t be a “real” writer unless they write every day, then gosh darn it, they’re going to commit to writing every day.

This would be fine if writing every day was feasible for the general population. But it isn’t. It can actually be dangerous and destructive for people who are not used to the mental, emotional, and physical toll writing takes on you. Burnout is a hot topic right now. Do you want to know why? Because people are told they have to do something daily to form a habit, they take it literally, they go all in for a week and they completely wear themselves out.

Some take a deep breath, center themselves, and keep going. But many don’t. Many are scarred by that experience and they don’t go back to it again.

It’s like someone who hasn’t done a workout in two years trying to run five miles every day for a month. You’re not going to make it. You might actually hurt yourself trying.

So no. Writing every day is not an effective strategy for everyone. If you do it and it works for you, great. If you don’t think you can handle it, then don’t force yourself. It’s not the frequency of writing that matters, but the consistency.

However, just because you don’t write every day doesn’t mean you should spend your off days with your book or blog or portfolio completely on the back burner. Here’s a fun fact: You can work on a story without actually “working” on it. Yes! I mean it!

After all, all stories begin with a thought. That’s also how they grow and develop, even when you aren’t actively sitting in front of your computer typing out the words.

I’m going to use last night as an example. I had just finished the minimum amount of writing I needed to do for the day. I could have written more, but I was tired — mostly tired of sitting at my desk hunched over my keyboard. I knew I would be much more productive in the morning if I called it quits for the night.

But after I’d gotten comfortable and entered full relaxation mode, my mind began to wander back to a story I’ve been chipping away at for the past month or so. I didn’t force it, but I also didn’t try to suppress it. I sort of just sat back and let the story consume my thoughts for a little while.

I did not technically “work” on that story yesterday. I did not contribute new words to it. But I did think about it. And because of that, I have a few ideas I can work with as soon as I sit down to work on it later today.

Even if you don’t write, you should allow yourself some time every day to “meditate” with your ideas.

Think about your story. Focus on it. Spend time with it. Get to know it.

This is the kind of thought and creativity that energizes instead of exhausts. There is a big difference between sitting alone with an idea and actively pursuing it. One technically isn’t “work” and the other is. But both are healthy and productive means of channeling your creativity into something purposeful.

Every day, make the time to at least think about your stories. When people suggest that writing every day is essential, I think what they mean is that you should have your head in your craft as much as possible — every single day, if possible, even if you don’t actually write.

Is actively writing an extremely important part of the process? Yes. If you do not write, you are not a writer.

But sometimes it’s okay to just sit back and fall into your stories for a while. Chances are, you’ll emerge more excited and motivated to work on them than you were before.

Excitement and motivation often lead to writing. And that’s not a bad thing at all, is it?

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.

Help Novelty Revisions become a more valuable resource for aspiring writers.  Join us on Patreon.

The Best of Novelty Revisions – 10-Year Anniversary Edition

My best blog posts of all time!

Meg Dowell4 Comments

I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I’ve been publishing words on the same blog for over a decade. Starting out, I knew blogging would take commitment and constant motivation. But I just wasn’t sure if I had it in me until I decided to keep going.

Over the years, I’ve published some pretty terrible things. I’m not (totally) ashamed of them. But I’ve also published some pretty awesome stuff — well, you guys seem to think so, anyway.

These are the most-loved, most-viewed posts on this blog of all time, from January 11, 2009 to now. If you missed any of them along the way, make sure to give them a read. According to your fellow readers, they’re worth it!

10. What Does It Mean to Be an “Accomplished” Writer?

“Is there some kind of chart that states when you’ll officially have “made it”? We all wish there were. In reality, the “answer” is much less clear.”

9. Stop Trying to Be “The Next J.K. Rowling”

“Do you really want to follow the same path as another writer — mimicking someone else’s success story instead of creating your own?”

8. What If You Write Something No One Else is Interested in Reading?

“It would have been very easy to give up early on in my blogging journey. I say that because many people do. They’re so worried about their small audiences and whether or not what they’re saying or talking about is “interesting” to the people around them that they just quit.”

7. This Is What a Full-Time Writer’s Schedule Looks Like

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a writer full-time? Everyone’s schedules are different, but I thought I would take the time to show you mine.”

6. How to Juggle Multiple Writing Projects At Once

“Here are my tips for juggling multiple writing projects at once, if you’re worried about how you’re going to do that this year.”

5. You Don’t Need More Motivation to Write — You Just Need Fewer Distractions

“It’s not motivation you’re after. It’s a lack of distractions. And only you have the power to do what you have to do to put writing first, in front of the things you would much rather be doing.”

4. Many People Still Don’t Understand Writing As a Job

“As much as I sometimes wish that easy, effortless money were the outcome (you know, on those really rough days), it isn’t. For those who think otherwise, listen up. For those who are in my position, you will appreciate this rant.” 

3. All Writers Start Out Writing Terrible Things

“Need some encouragement? Here it is: You might totally suck at writing at the moment. Or not. But that’s OK, because at some point along the way, we all do.”

2. The Unexpected Power of Writing Letters You’ll Never Send

“All my thoughts and feelings – positive or negative – intensify. And then they level out. And it’s like I’ve had an hour-long heart-to-heart with someone without seeing them face-to-face or messaging them over Facebook.”

1. Pros and Cons of Writing Stories Chronologically

“Is there a right or wrong way to construct a story? Really, it depends on your preference and which parts of the story you want to focus on.”

I know I said it on Twitter, but I’ll say it again here: Thank you. Whether you’ve been reading for 10 years or 10 minutes, thank you for the support and encouragement I often forget I need to keep doing what I do. I’ve stuck with blogging for so long because of those of you who need/appreciate the words I have in my heart and the passion I have for writing and helping other writers find their own success.

I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Here’s to 10 more years.

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.

Help Novelty Revisions become a more valuable resource for aspiring writers.  Join us on Patreon.