1--Because writing is just a craft like carpentry and if you can build a bookcase, you can write Infinite Jest, or at least Emma.
2--Because even your mother did NaNoWriMo. Twice.
3--Because there are apps for everything.
4--Because spell check does half the work and best sellers can't be all that hard anyway.
5--Because all you need is passion, patience, and a fondness for rejection--just like stalkers.
6--Because agents are a dying breed, traditional publishers are thieves, and Amazon is wide open.
7--Because there are more people willing to take your money in creative writing programs than there are people phishing for your social security number.
8--Because anyone can be a dancer, a musician, a painter, an actor, or a neurosurgeon--you just have to want it badly enough. Talent doesn't matter.
9--Because every other writing blog filled with writing tips tells you so. Duh.
10--Because there are a million inspiring Mark Twain quotes on the Internet he wrote after he was dead that will give you the courage to just do it.
Lev Raphael is the author of 25 books, most recently Assault With a Deadly Lie, a novel of suspense about militarized police.