The One True Way

Writing is hard.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, no matter who they are. They might be other writers who, after a certain amount of success, have forgotten all of the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get where they are. They might be scornful family members that don't understand your "silly little hobby". But we all know better. We know how difficult it is to be a writer, how draining it can be on both your energy and your emotions.

There are lots of "writing courses" that you can take online to "write a novel in 30 days with just one easy payment!" Most of these courses are scams. There is no secret to writing a novel quickly and easily... the only way to do it is through hard work, practice, and perseverance. If it was easy, everyone would have a published novel.

A few of these courses are genuine writer's tutorials that explain how any given author achieved their own success. Reading these can be useful, but eventually you realize that all the research in the world will not help you finish your own novel any faster. Every writer has their own way of writing and every writer has their own ways to be productive. It is good to research these ways, many of them are useful, but you also need to do some soul searching and find your OWN tricks.

There is no secret formula. There is no One True Way. There are no guarantees. All you can do is keep on writing.

There is one thing that all successful writers have in common, however. They surround themselves with a support network. Those friends that think you are wasting your time? Ignore them. Find yourself some new friends. Seek out other writers. Build communities. Find others like you. Offer and receive encouragement as well as constructive criticism.

Write for yourself, but when the writing gets hard, the support of good friends and colleagues is invaluable.