Ali Noël

Greetings and Salutations!

It has been a bit too long since I hopped on my website and offered an update. If you’d like to stay completely up-to-date on my writing, please consider subscribing to my Substack (for free!). You can find me @alinoelwrites

I took some time today to tackle a task I’ve been avoiding: my 2026 writing goals. It’s usually one of the first things I do going into a new year, but I found myself dodging it at every turn. 

How many years in a row am I going to write “get an agent” only to come up short at the end of the year? I have to confess I was struggling with a bit of genuine fatigue for the first time ever in pursuit of this dream. The idea of writing ANOTHER first draft, multiple rounds of edits, feedback, etc. that might ultimately end up in a binder on the shelf of my closet was daunting to me. 

And before I go any further — yes, I know that’s part of the gig. There’s no way around it and it’s a necessary part of the journey. Except this year, I questioned if I’ve got it in me. 

Enter: Harlan Coben. His masterclass with BBC Maestro was on sale and so I purchased his course on writing thrillers. Am I writing a thriller? No. But I love reading them, and maybe someday I will! Who knows. Nevertheless, I’ve learned so much through this course and he offered a sweet reminder from his own early days as a writer…

Stories written are never wasted even if no one else ever reads them. Writing novels (and writing them badly) is how you learn to do it and do it well. It’s how you get better, just like practicing any new skill or discipline. I think he said he wrote three or four novels before he became traditionally published. 

Is this wildly new information? No, not really. But it was a timely reminder for me, and maybe for you too! Someday and somehow, my books will be on the shelves of bookstores. I really do believe that, even if it’s only a fool’s hope. In the meantime, I am so grateful for resources like Substack where writers can encourage, read, write, and share what we love.

And so, I lift my eyes unto the hills. Set my pen to paper. Faithfully show up to what I believe I’ve been called to do.

More stories to come. More queries to write. More adventures await!

With hope,

Ali