Make friends. Meet your idols, meet everyone you know online, the newbie authors, agents, editors, publishers, media, organizers, podcasters—this is your community and it’s the best one to be in.

I think one of the things that holds new writers back is the idea that a first draft is supposed to be perfect. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-editing or giving up partway through a manuscript, but first drafts aren’t supposed to be perfect or pretty. They’re supposed to be messy.