1) Basic Training: Fall in, aspiring writers! This is where you need to brush up on the basics. Not sure if commas, a semi-colons and colons are punctuation points or anatomical terms? Just what is an infinitive and why shouldn’t you split it? Does the word “synopsis” sound worse than a chemical agent? Must read books that will help you answer these questions are: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style; Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer; Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey; Debra Dixon’s GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict; and Elizabeth Sinclair’s The Dreaded Synopsis: A Writing and Plotting Guide. Read them.

2) Gear Up: Any good soldier needs barracks and suitable supplies. You need a special place that’s yours alone. No matter if it’s a corner in your bedroom, attic, or even basement, or a cushy room with a view, set up a desk. Buy a secondhand or top-of-the-line computer and printer or typewriter (no dot matrix here, boys and girls). Invest in and learn that word processing program that will spit out format perfect material (1” margins all the way around, with simple headers listing book title, author name and page number in the upper left hand corner, and print in 12 point Courier). Invest in a dictionary, thesaurus, and your own copy of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Now comes the fun part. Go bonkers at your local office supply store. Stock your special place with all those supplies that will make concentrating strictly on writing easier.

3) Recon(naissance): Now it’s time to scout out territory you’d like to conquer. Which publisher do you want to write for? Which series? Go out and buy books from that publisher/line. Revisit any “keepers” you have and analyze why they earned precious shelf space. Give due respect to established authors, but pay special attention to the newer authors because it’s from them you’ll see what the publisher is buying now. Then note which themes are especially popular.

4) Arm Yourself: No, we’re not talking actual implements of war here. Your most effective weapon in this battle is your work. Push your research books aside and give yourself over completely to the process of writing. Set a schedule for yourself and write, write, write. No weekend warriors allowed here. Trust that everything you’ve studied is there, in your subconscious, guiding you, and ignore the internal editor for the time being. Pound out the first draft till the very end. Call this battle “the book attack,” holding no prisoners, allowing for no excuses. This is where you prove you’re capable of finishing a book. Only when you’ve finished can you go back and revise, revise, revise, polishing your baby until it coos and shines, tempting an editor to pick it up.

5) Charge: Send your polished manuscript out. With a self-addressed, stamped envelope. To an editor. If you’re so moved, also enter a contest(s), but the ultimate test of any manuscript is with an editor. Do your research, find out who the best editor is to approach, know what they want to see (do they want a query letter, sample chapters,

synopsis?) then mail the same to her attention, addressing her by name. Include a self-addressed stamped postcard so the editor can let you know she’s received the material, and, worse case scenario, return your manuscript (dealing with a Canadian publisher? Send a check to cover return postage). Now, settle back in your foxhole to wait.

6) Incoming: Unless you’re an exception to the rule, it’s gonna happen. You’re going to get rejected. Back-slapping, military hugs if you receive a form rejection letter or a letter that reads something like “I can’t take your material on at this time,” because neither says anything...yet says a lot. A good rule of thumb is, the less said, the worse. The editor wasn’t compelled to give a more material-specific response. Ultimately, the more that’s said, the better. In these busy times, if an editor writes a personal and/or detailed letter, then you’ve completed your training well. Take heart and surge ahead.

7) Send in the diplomatic corps: If the editor wants to see your material again after revisions, do those revisions and get the manuscript back to her ASAP. No barracks rats allowed here. You’ve now entered the hand-to-hand combat stage of your career. First, last and always, be professional. You want to present yourself as someone the editor wants to work with far into the future and let her know you’d like to work with her. And no matter what scuttlebutt you’ve heard, the editor only wants the best for the book, as well. Repeat that ten times.

8) Never send up the white flag: Even the best laid plans will run into their share of snafus. The editor didn’t want revisions, or the rewrite didn’t work and you’re ultimately rejected. Additional books (print or audio) you may want to add to your arsenal have to do with nurturing your creative soul. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance, and Richard Carlson’s Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff...and It’s All Small Stuff work especially well at times like these. You’ve lost the battle, not the war. The first thing you’ll need to do is write a brief thank you note to the editor. Show her you’re ever the professional and tell her you plan to submit something else that may be more to her liking soon. Then rush into your next book and get it to her a-sap.

9) The only enemy is yourself: All too easy, really. Imagining editors as unconquerable enemies holed up in impenetrable fortresses. If you entertain these visions, march straight back to Step One, Grunt. Editors want to buy great material from new authors as much as you want to sell it to them. No editor takes pleasure in writing rejection letters. They’ll tell you it’s the worst part of their job. The favorite part of an editor’s job is buying a new author.

10) Victory: Hooha! Trust us, if you follow these steps, always strive to grow as a writer and person, and keep marching onward, you, too, will be ultimately victorious. Good luck, and godspeed to each and every one of you. Now, get back out on that battlefield, Warriors!