Get Started. Just Write.

Whenever people find out that I have been published I invariably get a lot of questions on how one does this sort of thing. Over the years, I have sent out many emails and sat with people over tea so long ago Starbucks didn't yet exist. But this year, 2013, in coordination with the launch of my book, "The Break-Up Activity Book: Crafting Your Way Through a Broken Heart," Prospect Park Books (which was officially launched today), I have decided writing my thoughts on publishing is in order. Then I can point all queries to my blog because what is the use of technology if you can't use it to be as impersonal as possible?

I do want to start with a caveat, which is - the following are my opinions and what I have done but, they are by no means the only methods in which to get published. I fell into publishing completely accidentally and learned from there. There are many authors out there who are more prolific and seasoned than myself. So, I encourage you to seek them out, especially you are a fan of such authors in which case you should find out where they may be speaking and come prepared with lot of questions so you can pepper them after they are done. After you have done this once or twice, you may consider some costume changes so they will still let you in the door.

All my posts are going to be short (and hopefully digestible) but this is possibly going to be the shortest post of them all because the biggest, most singular thing that you must do if your dream is to to be a writer is simple. Write.  You need to get a writing utensil and something to write on. It can be a real piece of piece of paper with a real pen or using something like a Notes App on your Smart Phone or if you are one of the millions of lucky adults in the US to snag an iPad this holiday season, even if you had to beat someone with a stick at Walmart to get it, you can pull that out and write (after you have prudently purchased some more Apple stock of course).

It is very tempting to continually go to lectures and listen to someone speak and read every book and article available on how to get published, research the best possible tools to use whether it be a special notepad or pen, or tablet but, you must remember until you commit to a sentence, you aren't really a writer. An analogy I like to use is sports. You can read every book on tennis, watch every tournament, call the shots better than the sportscaster -  but until you tie on those shoes, get into the court and swing, you are not a tennis player. So if you want to write - get on the court - and write.