I try to speak about the query process and my own experience trying to get a literary agent as honestly as possible. My goal has always been to be transparent and show just how difficult the industry can be, even when you’ve done all you can to create a great story. Too often, we only see people posting about the wins and the good stuff and it makes us feel like we’re doing something wrong. On that note, I want to be completely honest about where I am right now with my querying.

This is the time of year when writers start talking about NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month which takes place every November. During this annual challenge, writers from all over commit themselves to writing a 50 000 word novel in a single month. The organization offers other smaller challenges throughout the year as well. You may have seen writers talking about it on social media or preparing themselves to participate. If you spend a lot of time in writing communities, you may be feeling pressure to participate yourself. Before you make a decision about whether NaNoWriMo is right for you, here are some important things to consider.

With a steep learning curve and an extemely unforgiving industry, writing and publishing a novel takes a lot of time and patience. If you feel called to write a book, you should go in with a clear idea of what you’re getting into. Let’s look at four hard truths about writing a novel.

I started writing my first book in a pink notebook when I was in elementary school. It was called The Best Friends Club, it was kind of like The Babysitters Club. I never finished it. All through high school and university I dreamed of writing a book one day, but I only wrote things sporadically when inspiration hit me.