Writing to Publish--One Way To Do It

Have you ever watched a show or a movie and wished the story or characters had gone another way? Or read a story or book and thought about the characters afterward, or imagined what the story would have been like if one of the secondary or minor characters had been at the center?

Yes, I know, that's called fanfic or fan fiction, and many writers frown upon it. My point is, it's a form of writing to a market, and it's a start.

What you want here is the ability to analyze a magazine or anthology ...