Dumping all your worries down on paper opens space for ideation. Over time, solutions will emerge to the things you’re wrestling with, either in your own life or in the lives of your characters.

Competition for agents is fierce right now, given all the Covid manuscripts flooding the market. In a few years’ time, your average writer won’t stand a chance unless they’ve got the focused support of a publishing expert.

The musician, the potter, the dancer, the swimmer—all these specialists understand that practice is part of mastery. They don’t come to the studio or the pool with the inward expectation that they’re going to nail it on the first pass.