Despite what you may have heard, publishers and agents want to see writers succeed.

Do your homework; go to conferences; take a course at a community college. Bottom line: you must write to get better. Then -- and here’s the hard part -- you must be open to criticism if you’re going to seek publication. Let it settle, then hold onto that which seems accurate.

Writing a book is much like building a house. During the foundational stages, it may look mediocre, even ugly, but as construction continues you begin to see beauty take shape..