Happy November!

Hi, friends! Happy November!

I’m enjoying some lovely fall weather between deadlines, so I thought I’d pop in here and say hello 👋 I hope autumn has been treating you all well and that you’re savoring the cozy moments.

Since I’m momentarily between deadlines, I’ve been throwing myself into soup season (so far I’ve made a dairy-free butternut squash soup and a winter melon soup, which always instantly transports me back to my grandma’s dining table). I’ve also been trying to cozy up the house, which has been woefully neglected as I’ve spent my days glued to my laptop.

For the writing community, November usually means the start of writing challenges. For a long time, the challenge was participating in National Novel Writing Month (nicknamed NaNoWriMo), which has since shut down (you can google why, but let’s just say it’s understandable).

Both Herrick Hall and Tyrant Spell were written during different NaNoWriMos, and the challenge of writing 50K words in a month was what got me through to the finish line. I’ve been so happy to see new challenges pop up to take NaNoWriMo’s place, and for a hot second, I thought about participating in one to try to churn out my next book (before realizing any day now, I will be getting two edit letters for two different books, where my goal will likely be deleting words rather than adding them to the page 🥲). So instead, I’ll be cheering for everyone from the sidelines.

If anyone here is participating in a challenge for the first time, I thought I’d share some insight into what helped me get through the month. I love hearing stories of people writing their first books, so if that’s you, know I’m rooting for you! You got this!

Before I get to that, though, a quick word on—

Round Table Mentor

I recently announced that I’m joining Round Table Mentor as a mentor for the 2025-2026 cycle. Mentorships have been so instrumental for me on my journey—and though I can’t claim to be a publishing pro in any way at all, I wanted to give back in what small way I could and help keep the (frustratingly heavy) door of publishing open for my fellow writers.

What’s exciting about this mentorship is that we can tailor it to be anything you want it to be. If you’re looking to query and get an agent, great. If you’re looking to develop your book for indie or self-publishing, we can do that too.

Here are some key dates, and what I’m looking for as a mentor (if we don’t look like a good match to you, you can check out the bios and wishlists of all the other mentors too, linked below!):

If you’re interested and eligible (you have to be unagented and never been traditionally published, though self-published is ok), please consider applying (it’s free!) when applications open November 6th.

November Novelers

Ok! Writing a book in a month (or if not the whole book, then a very good chunk of it). First off, I tend to shy away from doling out writing advice because writing is NOT one size fits all. What works for me may very well be garbage advice to you. So if you find something here is garbage, toss it in trash and carry on with your life and do whatever works for you.

Also, flagging that not everyone benefits from speed writing a book in a month. I have some incredibly talented friends who need months to years to write a proper first draft. AND THAT IS OK BECAUSE THERE’S NO RIGHT WAY TO WRITE AND SPEED DOES NOT EQUAL TALENT.

So with those huge caveats, here is what I’ve found to be helpful when diving into a dreaded rough draft.

Set Your Own Definition of Success

Often challenges come with quantifiable goals (like “write 1,667 words a day so you can have a 50K novel by the end of the month”). Which can be great and not so great (the endorphin rush of inputting your daily word count into the little chart can be so gratifying—or so soul crushing when the words just won’t come).

I’d say to keep your own peace, check in with yourself if that’s a realistic goal for you, or if you need to set a new one that works for you and your life. Choosing a goal (be it a word count goal or amount of time you commit to writing each day) that feels right for you makes hitting the finish line (be it a finished novel or a finished act of one or however you define the end line) that much more achievable.

Reward Yourself for Hitting Goals (and Incentivize Yourself for the Next)

I used to make a list of what I would do to celebrate hitting 10K words, 20K words, 30K words, etc. I’d scale them, so the further I got (and consequently more tired), the bigger the rewards would be. For instance, a typical list for me would be something like:

10K: treat yourself to a pastry at your favorite coffee shop

20K: honestly, I think I’d put another pastry here because I cannot survive without my little treats

30K: buy that book you’ve been wanting

40K: clear an evening to just soak in the tub and read (or something self care related because you’ll be tired by this point!)

50K: go out to dinner and treat yourself 🎉

And remember, your goal posts don’t have to be focused on hitting a specific word count. You could treat yourself at the end of every week, or when you hit an important beat/scene in your story.

My partner tended to look at my list and check in every day to see what progress I was making (because 1. he’s a supportive book bf and 2. when I get a treat, so does he 😂). If you have a family member or friend that can cheer you on, that truly does make all the difference. (And if you don’t, hit me up because I will happily be that person for you!)

Quantity over Quality

I wrote both my books during NaNoWriMo, and they both have found their publishing homes. But if either of my editors (or even my agent) read my first draft of either, they would RUN FAST AND FAR. My first drafts were HORRENDOUS. Storylines petered out, character names changed, and all my crutch words were heavily peppered throughout.

They were bad, but they were books. And you can’t revise holistically if you don’t have something to start with.

So focus on getting to THE END, let it suuuuuuck, and then take a break before you go back into your draft and try to make it suck a little less.

Tricking Your Mind into Productivity

As a people-pleasing middle child of a Chinese American parent, I love the feeling of having achieved something. But the actual sitting down to begin achieving something… No, thank you.

Getting started, for me, is the worst part of the writing process. So having a daily goal I told myself I had to achieve before I could then go about my day was vital to get my butt in my seat and my fingers on my keyboard.

One thing that helped me was building myself a playlist that captured the mood of my book and motivated. I sometimes go for a walk before writing, listening to the music and playing scenes out in my head like a movie. Sometimes, it’s a good trick to get my fingers itching to get back to my laptop.

Other times, you can’t force it. In those times, I sometimes try switching from being a morning writer to a night writer—or, if I can’t do that, I try changing up my setting, like going to write at a coffee shop or library. Working around other people working sometimes lets my brain focus better.

Find Community

Sometimes (scratch that, a lot of the time) writing feels like a form of torture you were foolish enough to foist on yourself. Writing can be such a joy, but it is also a very isolating endeavor. I love locking myself in my room with my laptop, where the outside world ceases to exist and it’s just me and my characters.

But afterwards, when you leave your room, it’s energizing to find community with people who can understand you on a level non-writers can’t. And if you’re struggling with the challenge, sharing what is and isn’t working with someone else who just ~gets it~ is so refreshing—whether you leave with a solution or just feel better after a well-deserved whine session.

If you’re looking for a writing community, there are so many ways to find one. Some bookstores or libraries will host in person writing meetups. Or, if you prefer something virtual, lots of writers have Discord or text groups with friends to seek advice/vent/celebrate each other’s successes. If you have any questions and don’t know where to begin, please reach out to me. I’m in some absolutely lovely ones, and I never want to gatekeep.

Ok, this newsletter is a lot longer than I was anticipating. Hopefully, you haven’t nodded off in front of your inbox (and I’m very sorry, if so). Go out there and have a fantastic November—be it getting into the holiday season or fighting tooth and nail to splash words on the page. I’ll be working on my horror and brewing up some more soups while waiting for edits to hit my inbox.

See you in December! xx

-Julie