• Read whatever you write
• Write what you know, what you're interested in
• Take the time to do it right. Even fiction takes some research.
• Read
• Revise, revise, revise. Sometimes it's best not to keep count of the number of drafts you've done on a particular ms
• Read -do you see a pattern here????
• Once you've gotten a ms the best you can get it, put it down (DO NOT LOOK AT IT/THINK ABOUT IT), and work on something else. Like the housework that's been neglected while the muse struck.
• Once you have had a break, look at your ms again. REALLY look at it. Do things jump out at you? Do you stumble across some words or sentences? Does everything flow nicely?
• Read and revise some more. And then give yourself another cooling off period. Once you can pick up your ms after your let-go spell and it feels right to you, you can go to your next step.
• Some writers don't like critique groups, BUT I'm one of those who does. I cannot tell you how valuable I believe other writers are. If you are like me and don't have any writers near you... Turn to the internet! There you have, with a few clicks, tons of other writers at your finger tips. Get involved with a group. Let them look over your ms for you. You in return look over some of their work. Together you get each others works ready for publishing.
• When you are ready to sub don't just send it out to anybody and everybody. Take your time to research the market. Make sure the publisher publishing the same type of ms that you have ready. For instance, you wouldn't want to send a fictional ms to someone who only publishes non-fictional pieces.
• Type up your ms according to guidelines, get you envelopes ready, and kiss it good-bye. It takes a lot of courage to send yourself out into the big publishing world.
• Then....w-a-i-t. It can take 6 months to hear about your ms, sometimes longer. Even when you get it back it doesn't always mean terrible news. Sometimes you will recieve a personal rejection. And there are the times when you get a great invitation to send more work. Those types of rejections make all the form ones worth it.
• Do not, I repeat DO NOT, give up. I have heard that it takes an average of 10 years to get a book contract. Most people don't last that long and give up way before that time. But if you can tough it out, over the years you will learn some great advice, and learn more about your craft. It takes determination and persistance. And trust me, it is all worth it in the end!

~~~I wish you good luck in your journey. I hope it will lead you to your dreams. And don't forget to enjoy all that reading you'll be doing.~~~

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