I'm speaking from my limited perspective as someone who entered into writing with a total lack of knowledge of the field. I started from scratch with no idea what I was doing. I wrote, miserably, picked up some pointers and found some good links on the net, made friends, wrote more and improved with each piece. Did I eventually get published? Develop a succesful career as a renowned writer? No, but the dream wasn't that strong in me. Maybe it is in you. I'm writing this more toward someone who's thought of writing but isn't sure or someone who's tried a few stories and felt they failed.

Writing takes what's left of your mind, heart, and soul. It gives back tremendous highs...and lows. Mount Everest type highs from finishing what you consider to be a fine piece of work; something that pulled emotions from you that you didn't think were possible. Crawl under a rock type lows when you find the rejection letter in your mailbox from an editor who was unmoved by your work. Where do you go from there? You pick yourself up and try again, and again, and as long as it takes until what you write makes others sit up and take notice. And if they never do, what have you lost? Some time? Some words on a page? Nothing compared to what you gain. Writing has allowed me to see things from different angles in ways I never thought possible. It's helped me chase away ghosts, cut through the crap that was inside (not only me, it's in all of us) and see myself and others in a clearer light.

Next, make friends in the writing community. Seek out professionals and for the most part don't talk, just listen. They've been where you're at and they made it. They made it because they worked at it. They learned all the tricks. First and foremost, writng well. Next the lay of the land, or rather the who's and what's of the writing community. They wrote, they learned, they made friends, they networked -- they succeeded. Another resource is writing groups. There are writer's groups everywhere. If your town doesn't have any, then try online communities. It helps having friends that are going through the same trials as you are. It also helps to have your work critiqued and to critique another's work.

Last, but by far the most important. . .WRITE! Not only does it help you become a better writer, it's good for the soul. I don't advocate the "Write a thousand words every day" theory. If you want to be a professional, then by all means, the more you write and the more you learn, the better you'll become; but if your free time is non-existent, then write what you can when you can and be happy with it. One last thought I'd like to add is don't be surprised if your writing becomes good, but you remain unpublished or have small successes but they're few and far between. Be aware! Writing is a very crowded field. Magazine and book editors are flooded by submissions on a daily basis and are often months behind. Editors by and large are not evil, just overworked.

Most nights you can find me in #Lobby of IRC.sff.net, my second home and a great place to chat with writers and readers of all genres.
 

3D Lettering courtesy of Razers Edge Graphics