I hope you write someone's favourite character

I hope you know you're not in control of whether something gets published or how people respond to it

I hope you know not every experiment needs to be anything - complete, saleable, what you're supposed to be delivering etc.

I hope your ending leaves your readers with a hangover and the feeling they need to text their friends to read it immediately so they can talk about it with someone

I hope you know comparing daily word or time counts with others isn't as useful as you think it is

I hope you know cheating on your current project with a side project is legit

I hope you outdo yourself with your next thing

I hope you celebrate others' milestones, too

I hope you encourage others when you get the opportunity

I hope you don't get distracted by the necessities of marketing and social media and self-promotion

I hope you dig into your characters more and find their messy parts

I hope you are ready to seize the opportunities when they come

I hope you let some ideas develop at the pace they need to - not everything arrives fully formed

I hope you have a go at those revisions even though you're intimidated by them

I hope you write the next one (it's always the answer)

I hope you write it gayer

I hope you reinvent yourself and your words

I hope you have the audacity to make and release your weirdest, angstiest, most self-indulgent and rawest work

I hope you switch up your writing routine when you need to 

I hope you have a genius realisation about a plot problem while going about your day

I hope you finally sell that story you love that has racked up a mountain of rejections

I hope you remember backspacing is still work

I hope you write it anyway

I hope you don't get distracted by the necessities of marketing and social media and self-promotion

I hope your obsessions come out in your work

I hope you remember that refreshing the Submission Grinder is not writing

I hope you cut yourself some slack when you're tired or when pushing through wouldn't serve you or the work

I hope you never have an empty reading (and know it's ok if you do)

I hope you support marginalised writers and advocate for them in the rooms they're not in

I hope you write through the self doubt

I hope you write across all the genres, formats and lengths you want to

I hope you don't feel restricted to writing in just one genre, style or format

I hope you never lose significant chunks of work to technological glitches

I hope people learn your conlangs

I hope you don't keep forever revising and polishing out of fear. It'll never be perfect, make it as good as you can and then move on

I hope you remember a finished story is a beautiful representation of your creative choices across a period of time (and not any one day)

I hope you find the right names for your characters

I hope you remember to entertain your audience

I hope you have the courage to start that idea you don't think you're ready for

I hope your villains are iconic

I hope you share what you've learned

I hope you have the audacity to think you can create something brilliant and prove yourself and everyone else right

I hope you share what you've learned

I hope your Ao3 kudos keep giving

I hope you know you're a good writer

I hope your story ideas, plot bunnies, stray characters and single pretty lines find each other in your notes and in your brain to create exciting new combinations - this goes with that!

I hope you remember social media, forums, discords and hangs are nice but not writing

I hope you reinvent yourself and your words

I hope you have a journalling session that unlocks something for you

I hope you persist, try again and put down more words