here's how you're going to actually write your first novel in 2026

Aspiring writer? Welcome to your new favorite video. It's go time. 🖋️ Want my help with your work? Go to kelseyhumphreys.com/writing 👋 If you’re new here I’m Kelsey—rom-com author, stand-up comic, and mom of six. I make real-life rants about writing, creating and staying delulu with our creative dreams. I am a lot. Subscribe for weekly humor, heart, inspo, motivation and zero perfectionism. "Kelsey Q&A" street cred: I have published over 12 novels, made six figures in just over a year from book sales, have thousands of reviews and over 33 Million Kindle page reads. ________________________________________________________________ 🔗 JUDGE ME 🎁 Get a FREE full-length novel and see what you think: https://kelseyhumphreys.com/freebie ______________________________________________________________ 📌 STALK ME Instagram →   / thekelseyhumphreys   Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/author/kelseyh... ________________________________________________________________ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 0:00 Intro – This is the Year 1:00 Let Go of the Romanticized Writer Aesthetic 3:00 Bestselling author Writes on Her Phone?! 5:30 You are a writer now. Period. 6:00 Figure Out What You're Writing (Genre & Word Count) 8:00 Expanding Your Idea Into a Full Novel 9:00 Too Many Ideas? I get it. 11:00 Outlining Methods: Tent Poles, Beat Sheets & Three-Act Structure 14:00 Should Your First Book Be an Epic Saga? (hint: no.) 14:45 Pantsing vs. Plotting vs Hybrid 15:00 Building Characters From Your Idea 18:00 Just Start Writing the Scene You See in Your Head 19:00 Planning Where Your Story Is Going (Save the Cat, etc) 21:00 Make a Writing Plan: Words Per Day & Finding Time 23:00 Stop Waiting for Things to Settle Down 24:00 Practical Time Hacks: Early Mornings, Lunch Breaks & Carpool Lines 27:00 Don't Self-Edit Your First Draft – Just Get It Done 30:00 Surviving the Messy Middle of Your Novel 33:00 Finding Your "Why" When It Gets Hard 34:00 Getting Unstuck: Rereading, Skipping Ahead & Reclaiming Your Spark 35:00 You Can Do This Because... (what no one else will say out loud) 36:00 After the First Draft then what? 38:00 Outro – Stay Delulu & See You Next Week ________________________________________________________________ 🏷️ tags: how to write a novel, write your first novel, how to write a book for beginners, how to finish writing a book, novel writing tips, writing tips for beginners, how to start writing a novel, first time author tips, how to outline a novel, pantsing vs plotting, beat sheet for novels, save the cat novel outline, writing motivation, how to find time to write, writing as a busy mom, self publishing tips, how to become an author, indie author tips, writing a first draft, how to get through the middle of a novel, romance writing tips, fiction writing for beginners, author career tips, how to write faster, daily writing habit, kelsey romcom, write a novel in 2026, aspiring author advice, full time author, self published author tips, kelsey humphreys,