Regardless of how true this phenomenon is or not, the concept of the junior novel nonetheless has a strong message: That a career in writing requires that you keep writing. Instant or overnight success is not an appropriate dream to chase, neither for reality nor for our own wellbeing.

I used to read too fast so I could earn as many free personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut as I could. But as soon as I’d aged out of free pizza—the cruelest rite of passage ever—I calmed my cheese-drunk ass down and returned to reading like a human.

For me, this question of futility often seems to hit two patterns: 1) insecurity/uncertainty about one’s place in the world, and 2) disillusionment about the reality of writing.

Agents are often overworked, underpaid, and have full lives outside of their jobs. I think writers sometimes have unrealistic expectations because of one of my favorite things in the world: inaccurate movie portrayals of a writer’s life.