Hello!

I'm back at my desk after lots of fun over the summer with my kids (and extended family) and I'm enjoying getting back into my usual writing routines. Next Monday (7th) to Sunday (13th), I'll be running a completely free "Fifteen Minutes of Fiction" challenge. Want to take part? Click this link and I'll send more details to you tomorrow.​​

And here's this week's blog post:

​Nine Things that Are Totally Normal (and Expected!) When You’re Writing a Novel​

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Nine Things that Are Totally Normal (and Expected!) When You’re Writing a Novel

If you’re writing a novel, you might have moments – or even months – where you’re tempted to give up. Perhaps something about the process makes you feel like you’re doing it all wrong, or you’re never going to finish, or you’re just not cut out to be a writer.

Whether you’re one chapter in or wading through the messy middle, there’ll be times when your confidence is at a low – and resistance is at a high.

Today, I wanted to share some really common situations (and emotions) that come up when writing a novel. These happen to me, they happen to the writers I work with as a coach, and they happen to writers in Writers’ Cafe. In short … they’re normal. They’re even to be expected.

So if any of these sounds familiar right now, then please know that you’re not doing anything wrong. You will make it to the end. And you absolutely are a writer.

These are all normal parts of writing a novel (I’ll list them here, then go through each one below):

#1: Getting Stuck on What Happens in the Story

#2: Having Scenes That Go Nowhere

#3: Needing a Break from Writing

#4: Losing Momentum After a Break

#5: Changing Your Mind About How to Tell the Story

#6: Feeling Uncertain About the Genre

#7: Pausing When Life Happens

#8: Discovering Even Better Ideas Along the Way

#9: Wanting Other People to “Get It”

➡️ Read more...​

Happy writing,

Ali

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