Maria Ejike asked Kristin Hannah:

First, I love and enjoy your novels! And I love your writing style, as someone who is also interested in it, I have a question for you. What is the one thing you wished you knew before writing? I'm thinking of pursuing writing, maybe in my undergraduate year after graduating from high school.

Kristin Hannah Good for you! I truly believe that if you have the desire to write a novel, you can find the ability. It's really a question of timing and dedication and commitment. And it's fabulous to know that so early in life. I'm assuming you are a voracious reader. I went into writing with very little information/talent/knowledge about it. I learned by the seat of my pants, really, by writing. I joined critique groups and writing organizations. I went to writing conferences. Mostly, I wrote and re-wrote. I didn't know what I didn't know. 🙂 Honestly, I don't think there's anything I wish I'd known or done differently in the beginning. The journey of writing has been ups and downs, but always fun. It's really about finding an unfounded faith in your ability to succeed and then you keep writing and you never give up. Good luck!

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