I’ve got two words for you, aspiring novelist:

So what if you might never get this book published? Join the crowd.

So what if you spend all this time on a project that goes nowhere? Didn’t you say you love to write?

So what if you’re not fitting into a box or a brand?

So what if you’re doing the exact thing they told you not to do?

What do you have to lose?

What do you have to fear?

If you’re afraid of rejection, then don’t try and get it published.

If you’re afraid of criticism, then don’t try and get it reviewed.

If you’re afraid nobody will care, then make them care.

If you’re afraid nothing will ever happen with this, SO WHAT?

If you like to write, write.

If you want to write a novel, do it with all the passion and excitement you have inside.

Write the story without a care in the world. Don’t worry about brands or headlines or sales figures or trends or bestsellers lists. Just write it because you want to write it.

Write it because you love writing and because you have this crazy little story in your head that you can’t get rid of. Write to perfect your voice and your style.

Write for yourself and for nobody else. Write for today and not for tomorrow.

Write with reckless abandon because every novelist is truly a bit crazy at their core.