Goodreads asked Emily Devenport:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Emily Devenport The first thing authors always say when asked this question is "Write!" This probably annoys new writers quite a bit -- after all, you're already doing that. But the advice will make sense once you've slogged your way through more manuscripts. You eventually notice that the physical and mental process of writing builds a writing machine in your head, and eventually it runs without a lot of help from you.

Eventually you feel confident enough to try to sell and/or publish your stuff. I recommend trying to sell short stories first. You learn the discipline of writing to a word limit. If you write genre fiction, try Ralan.com for possible markets.

If you're hoping to earn a better income with writing, consider trying your hand at nonfiction articles, too. I've never done this successfully, but I have a good friend who has managed to make a living writing articles. Read the stuff that interests you, then give it a shot.

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