STACY-DEANNE (DEE-ANNE)

Look at yourself in the mirror. If any of these answers pertain to you then you need to seriously check your attitude or do not embark on this career. You will never be published or make it in writing.

1. People who constantly make excuses for why they aren't writing instead of actually writing and perfecting their craft.

2. People who think they know everything about the industry and refuse to learn or research.

3. People who are too lazy to research the aspects of writing, how you become published and how you land an agent. They would rather someone else give them all the answers instead of learning on their own.

4. People who believe that agents and publishers have an agenda against new writers. Please! Every published author was new at one time, you're not the first. When a writer resorts to whining or blaming agents and publishers for why their work doesn't cut it, then they are definitely not in the right mind to be career writers.

5. People who believe that their work is perfect the way it is and needs no editing or revision.

6. People who claim that agents and publishers are not interested in "real writing" simply because they keep getting rejected.

7. People who think there is a shortcut to becoming published.

8. People who think they DESERVE to be published and that someone owes them the chance.

9. People who give up looking for agents and editors after only a handful of rejections. Most published authors got more than fifty rejections. You gotta keep at it. This is what separates the determined from the weak.

10. People who write only one book with no follow-up plans.

11. People who seek out agents and publishers before finishing their book.

12. People who ride the coat tails of published authors for the purpose of "getting published".

13. People who think that being published will make you rich and famous overnight.

14. People who only see dollar signs when they think of writing a book.

15. People who don't write because they love to, but because they think it's easy and like the prestige of being a "published author".

16. People who are not realists and cannot except the fact that everyone is not going to be published.

17. People who are jealous of and compare themselves to published authors. They tear down the work of published authors, claiming their own writing is better than the author's (if only the big mean agents would give them a chance). Your writing might be better than a lot of published authors but you must prove it because they're the ones published and you're not.

Don't let your negativity or envy stand in the way of what the future might hold for you and your career.