L.M. Merrington
Just write. It's so easy to get caught up with all the trappings of writing or to get too far ahead of yourself and think about publishing options when you haven't yet got a full manuscript. Get into some sort of regular rhythm, whether that's every day or however often you can manage, and just keep going. Even 100 words per day is 100 words more than you had yesterday!
And once you've finished the first draft, edit, edit, and edit some more. Then get someone else to read it, edit it, and then use the services of a professional editor. I find that editing and rewriting takes up about three-quarters of my total time spent on a book. It's also why you shouldn't worry about getting the first draft perfect - you can always fix it in editing, but you can't edit a blank page.
And once you've finished the first draft, edit, edit, and edit some more. Then get someone else to read it, edit it, and then use the services of a professional editor. I find that editing and rewriting takes up about three-quarters of my total time spent on a book. It's also why you shouldn't worry about getting the first draft perfect - you can always fix it in editing, but you can't edit a blank page.
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