If only novels could write themselves.

Years dedicated hard work, multiple drafts and edits, and multiple rejection letters are all things that pave the way to a novel being made.

Writing, at least in my opinion, is one of the hardest things you can do. You have to adhere to people’s specific tastes, understand current trends in the world and manage to write hundreds of pages of pure imagination. Thankfully, there is a solution to this problem.

November, along with being a month to honor veterans, is also National Novel Writing month. There is a website called NaNoWriMo, that allows writers to sign up for a program. You can communicate with other writers and truly dedicate yourself to your work. The ultimate goal of National Novel Writing Month is to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month.

Personally, I have been writing for about three or four years now, maybe even five. I haven’t really kept track. In that time, I have fully finished three novels, and two stories longer than 100 pages. I’m still in the process of editing these books and also in the process of writing another one.

Through the years, I’ve picked up a few tips that I think are pretty useful.

1. Write at least one page every single day. I picked up this tip a while ago, and I can honestly say that it’s been helping me so much. A lot of times, I don’t feel like writing because I’m not sure what to write relating to the story I’m working on. If that happens, then I’ll try to write something for another story. No matter what you write, you need to write something. You can edit something bad, but you can’t edit nothing at all.

2. Get people to read what you’re writing and talk about it. I know a lot of times, at least for me, it’s kind of embarrassing to admit that I write books. And having someone read and edit something that came from my heart is one of the most stressful things to happen. It’s a story from your soul; you worked on it for so long. So if someone doesn’t love it as much as you do, it can hurt sometimes.

But we need to get out there somehow. If writing is something you really want to do, then you need to get over your fear and have people read it. You’re not going to get anywhere by just sitting there.

3. Write whatever you want! A lot of times, authors are worried because their stories sound so cliché and repetitive. Every story is cliché; it’s not something you escape. But stories are cliché because that’s what people like. They like to hear the same thing: The guy got the girl, the hero beat the villain. You can’t change a good trope. Some people like different things, and that’s totally fine. The only thing you need to be concerned about is that you like what you’re writing. If you don’t, then it isn’t genuine.

4. Have friends that build you up. This might not seem like it’s related to writing, but I think your friendships have a great impact on everything in your life. For a class I have, we have to write short stories that everyone will critique. I told my friend about my idea, and she told me she loved it and that I was a really good writer. Even when I was worried and concerned, she still assured me that it would be amazing.

Writers are a very emotional group of people. We have to be in tune with everything and understand everything. It’s a stressful job. But it’s good to have friends that can help encourage you.

5. Remember that you are talented. Again, this is kind of a silly one, but I think it’s very important. Many times, writers compare themselves to other authors, saying, “Oh, well, I’ll never be like J.K. Rowling,” which may be true. But that doesn’t mean you just quit. Everyone has something different to say, and you should say it. With time, patience and hard work, you can become the author you’ve always wanted to be.

Why be J.K. Rowling when you can be yourself?

Or as William Shakespeare said, “This above all, to thine own self be true.”