Transcript:

At the risk of sounding like Chef Gusteau in Ratatouille, I believe everyone can and should write a novel. A lot of people would probably tell me I’m crazy for saying that, but I still stand by it.

Now, I’m not saying you need to show it to anyone or try to publish it. If you want to, great! But even if it stays tucked away on your computer or in a drawer, I still think the process is worth it. Everyone has at least one novel in them—yes, even you. Don’t believe me? Stick around and let’s talk.

Hi, I’m C. Sloan Lewis, and welcome to my channel!

Okay, so let’s start by the question: Why should everyone write a novel?

While I can’t cover every reason, I’ll be breaking it down into three main categories:

1. Self-Discovery and Personal Growth
2. Skill Building and Learning
3. Personal Achievement and Legacy

Honestly, even one of these reasons is strong enough to answer the “why” question, and you definitely don’t need to be motivated by all three.

“But I’m not a writer!” you might say. That’s okay! No one starts off as anything. Simone Biles didn’t come out of the womb doing cartwheels… that I’m aware of. But the amazing thing about being a writer is that as soon as you put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard—you are a writer.

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Self-Discovery & Personal Growth

It’s impossible for me to quantify just how much of my growth and understanding of myself stems from my writing. While journaling or poetry can also encourage reflection, there’s something uniquely transformative about writing a novel. The time it takes and the emotional depth required to create and follow a character’s journey make it a deeply personal experience.

A lot of times, a character’s arc mirrors something the writer has experienced. Even when it doesn’t, the process of exploring themes like grief, love, or identity can help you process your own experiences. For example, let’s say you’re writing about a girl coping with losing her dog to cancer. Even if you’ve never been in her shoes exactly, writing her story could help you work through your own experiences with loss and grief.

Writing also has a way of revealing your hidden values and beliefs. When I wrote the Soul Child, I wasn’t consciously thinking about themes, but I later realized the story deeply explores imposter syndrome—something I was struggling with at the time leading a team of English teachers after only a year of being a teacher myself. It also showed me how much I value things like friendship, teamwork, and determination.

In the words of Joan Didion: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

The more you write, the more you learn about who you are. In a world where we often avoid confronting our deeper emotions, writing can be life-changing. If you only need one reason to write a novel, this is it.

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Skill Building and Learning

Beyond personal growth, writing a novel sharpens skills you might not even realize you’re developing. We all know “practice makes perfect,” but what are you practicing when you write a novel? Grammar, vocabulary, storytelling, idea development, and understanding characters, for starters.

Writing also encourages you to research. Whether you’re exploring historical events, world-building for a fantasy novel, or nailing the technical details for a thriller, the process drives you to dig deeper into topics. Some of the random things I’ve learned through writing recently include:

• How castles were garrisoned.
• Lines of succession in different cultures.
• How high a fall needs to be to kill someone (which is why Google needs an “Im-a-writer mode”).

Writing also helps you articulate your ideas more effectively. Back in high school, I struggled with expressing myself and backing up my opinions. Writing essays—and eventually fiction—taught me how to think critically and communicate clearly. Over time, this confidence spilled into conversations, my work, and other areas of my life.

The skills you build through writing benefit you in ways that go far beyond the page. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, you’ll come out of the process with tools that improve your life.

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Personal Achievement and Legacy

Not to toot my own horn: Writing and finishing a novel is a big deal. Completing such a large project is an accomplishment to be proud of, even if it’s just a rough draft. This is why events like National Novel Writing Month—where writers attempt a 50,000-word manuscript in 30 days—are so popular. The sense of achievement is unmatched.

On a personal level, writing a novel gives you something to share with loved ones and even future generations. For me, the idea of my daughter reading my novels one day is more exciting than seeing my name on a bestseller list. It’s a way for her—and eventually her children—to know me better, even decades from now.

Sharing my writing with loved ones has also brought me so much joy in the present. The other day, a family friend and my brother-in-law were talking about their favorite parts of my novel, and I felt like I could float away from pure happiness. And anyone who doesn’t like my writing, I can just say, “Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.”

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Outro

Writing a novel might seem daunting, but I encourage you to give it a shot. Like I said, I believe everyone has at least one novel in them. And if you have questions about how to get started, leave a comment below or reach out to me on social media.

I’ve also posted a video series on the basics of writing and publishing a novel, so be sure to check that out! And if you like and subscribe, you’ll stay up to date on all my new content.

But that’s all from me today and you’ve got some writing to do, so I’ll see you in the next video. Ta-ta!