There are no short cuts to getting a piece of writing finished and seeing it in print but here are some tips that might help you on your way:

Join a writing group and read your work to others and get feedback. This can be a good confidence builder, and will get you into the habit of writing regularly.

Send your work out to local magazines, nationals, agents – get feedback and build things from there.

Enter competitions and get noticed.

Read what is selling as well as what you like but don’t copy. It’s important to develop your own ideas and style.

Decide what it is you want to write. What genre do you enjoy? What themes do you want to explore?

Give yourself the time to write, write and write. Nobody would expect a pianist to perform in a concert hall before he’s learnt his scales. So shut the study door and take the phone off the hook. No excuses!

Give yourself the space to write. Whether that’s a tiny desk or a study of your own, respect your place of work and make sure your family respects it too! If my husband borrows anything from my sacred pot of pens, he knows he’s in trouble!

Be professional. Make sure your work is set out correctly. There are many excellent books which will tell you exactly how to do this.

Whatever you write – love it! Your enthusiasm will shine through, and you need heaps of it to succeed and deal with the rejections.

And be prepared for rejections when submitting your work. It’s like any of the arts – there are a lot of people who will be striving to achieve exactly the same thing, so competition is fierce. But, if you have a story to tell, and the determination to tell it AND sell it, you’re already well on the way.
GOOD LUCK!

 
Here are some books I’ve found particularly useful:

The Writer’s Handbook – The indispensable reference book to getting your work out there.

Story by Robert McKee – A passionate defence about learning the craft of writing and the importance of story.

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. An inspirational book which will make you feel so proud to be a writer!

Bestseller by Celia Brayfield – She’s been there and done it and passes on all her experience in this excellent book.

Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham Jones – A fun and informative guide to the writing process with lots of advice from writers – including me!

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass – Really excellent tips for making sure your novel is a cracking read.

Hand to Mouth by Paul Auster – Autobiography of a struggling writer – intensely funny and moving.

An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski – Aimed at actors but there are plenty of good ideas for creating characters.

A good book on grammar and punctuation is also essential for any writer.

And buy a book of baby names. Great fun for getting your cast of characters together!