You're never too young or too old to start writing. I began to write as soon as I could hold a crayon, starting with picture books and then moving on to comic books. A young Saskatchewan writer, Misty Dawn, had her first book published at the age of four. British humourist P. G. Wodehouse, who wrote over 100 books in his lifetime, was working on his final novel when he died at the age of 93.

They say you should write for yourself and not with the intention of being published. Are they nuts? Of course you want to be published! You want to share your inner realms with the entire world.

I do write my first draft just for myself. I show it to no one, mainly because my first drafts are messy collections of misspelled, ungrammatical scribblings that no one could read anyhow, but also because if I think I'm writing for someone else, I suddenly have an invisible critic nagging me to write better, which blocks the creative flow. If I feel like sharing my work, I rewrite it and give it to several friends to read. This is where joining a writing group is useful. Keeping their suggestions in mind, I rewrite it several more times with the intention of submitting it for publication. I never stop trying to improve my work. Even after The Prairie Dogs was published I find myself reaching for a pencil to cross out words I don't like.

When I have a new manuscript to send out, I go to the bookstore and write down the names of publishers who have published books similar to mine. I check each publisher's web site, if they have one, for manuscript submission guidelines. You can also write and ask for guidelines. You'll find their contact information in The Canadian Writer's Guide, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, The Canadian Writer's Market, published by McClelland & Stewart, or The Writer's Market, published by Writer's Digest Books.

Jumping up and down on rejection letters is a good way to relieve stress.

Be patient with yourself. If you get discouraged, just look over what you wrote a year ago and take heart in how much your writing has improved in only one year.

Writers are tour guides, taking readers to places they can't find on their own. Whether you lead your literary tourists to new worlds or new ideas, the journey will be as exciting for you as it is for them.

For more advice on publishing, you might find this article helpful.