You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.

...Isaac Asimov

But, please, there is a learning curve to get to that stage... In my time inside Litopia, pacing my cell, I have come upon an epiphany that has stalled my enthusiasm and tempered my will. To put it as succinctly as I can, or perhaps, bluntly, I have come to the understanding that the publishing industry is a he-yow-gh (that's big) monster that will gobble up the innocent and naive and spit them out with their hope drained and the noose swaying beneath that light fitting looking rather tempting.

Don't do it. Take a deep breath, brush yourself off and suck up everything that makes you you. We all hear stories about how well known authors went from agent to agent to publishing house to publishing house, to pub, bottlebank and rehab, with a long (long, long) time between their pursuit of the unbelievable and their finally being realised for the amazing sparkle of light that they are. Look at yourself in the mirror and repeat: 'It ain't going to happen to me... not yet, I'm not ready.'

Okay. Once you believe that you may begin to move on. If you can't put it all into perspective you will remain upon your singular road and you will be continually depressed about your outcomes. So, what do you do with this knowledge, with this awakening?

1. Write for all you are worth... Write, write, write; anything and everything... plots, characters, scenery, dialogue, thought processes, actions, facial ticks, the smell of the daisies, the sound of a fart - discover what you like doing, what you find difficult, and most of all, develop your own personal style.

2. Read like a sponge in the sea (I know, sponges can't read... I meant soak up literature and other books, I did! I'm not that stoopid [SIC]) Everything you need is already out there, already written. Read about the way others underpin a subplot, how they merge description with action, how a character evolves during a meal, the transistion between places whilst travelling, the change in viewpoints, the emergence of themes, how not to overcook it, how to make you care about the characters, how to make you laugh, or cry.

3. Join a writers group. Only in the presence of like (or dislike) minded people will you learn to accept critiscism... people from all walks of life and all stages of development. Take your work along, bit by bit and take it on the chin.

4. Take a course, any course, in creative writing Short or long, just for fun or a degree. Courses can only help bring out that flower in your heart and cause it to bloom. There is still so much to learn and there always shall be. If you are starting out you need this boost.

5. Grammarise That, possibly should be a zed; instead of an S in there! I said nonchalantly? Know how to correctly grammarise your work, your commas, your apostrophes, etc, must slot themselves into the right place. If you aren't very good at grammar get a book or start a course... fear of grammar leads to hate, hate leads to anger, anger leads to suffering. Bad grammar sticks out like a sore thumb in a forest of fingers.

6. Stick around and ask lots of questions in Litopia We're all in the same boat... its just that some are at the stern and others are at the bow. There are always people mooching around who are happy to assist you in finding out the answers either by answering them directly, or directing you to an already tabled thread. Perhaps in time, you will glean enough to help others... don't be too hard on yourself, I think you will.

7. Join up to the Readers Reports Once you've been around long enough, you can join the RR section and submit parts of your work for critiquing by the other members and also take part in critiquing others' work... just like in a writers group. Trust me, spotting the problems in others' work, is often critical to spotting it in your own.

8. Keep the faith The only person who will ever make it happen... is you (imagine a big pointing finger appearing from the sky, and your misunderstanding that you've won the lottery... you haven't, its just God telling you that you are you). Regardless of the set backs, the rejections, the brainfades, addictions to caffiene (however which way you spell it), the people stealing your ideas; if you want to write, because its in your soul, because it is a part of you to write, journalise, to express... then just keep writing.

9. Avoid a bad reputation When you do start to send your writing out to agents and publishers, remember to be polite and to the point. Consider the act of a writer sending a manuscript to an agent or publisher like a Call centre calling you at 9pm on a weeknight to ask you if you want to change your telephone provider. You can't take responses personally, you can't be rude, or blockade thei mailbox or attempt to firebomb them because they have missed the point of your subtle doublet (I don't even know what that means - popped in my head and sounded good). If you can't take no for an answer then you have missed out one of the points above. If you still consider your work to be on par with JRR Hartley, then try somewhere else.

So what am I saying? Don't just spladge your work out there, with a misguided query letter, poorly grammatised (yeah, I like making up words) synopsis, and a story in which nobody talks, the plot has a hole the size of John Candy, and it begins with: Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, it all began with a bang...

What am I also saying? I'm not yet published, so like my advice, and that of others, take it with a pinch of salt, but at least acknowledge it... this isn't a race, and neither is it written in stone that you will or won't get published. Oh, and good luck. Now - while you're all distracted - I'll just pop my manuscript in the post...

Thanks to Litopian R1X for these shared insights - join Litopia now for immediate access to the Colony, the net's oldest and preeminent community for writers.