In "real life," this is how I usually start this kind of a thing: "Umm, I wrote a novel." So, yeah, that's how I'm starting it here: I wrote a novel. For more than a year, I've spent a rather large amount of time (every free moment not devoted to working or making sure my wife doesn't hate me) writing a novel. And now it's finished. Or sort of finished. Or: I've been rewriting for three months and I don't have any more ideas on how to make it better.

I've picked up the good ol' Writer's Market, I've read up on agents and the like, I've had friends and family look at it for obvious faults ("My mom likes it!"), and I've begun shaking down (in the nicest possible way) my friends and acquaintances, and friends of friends, and friends of friends of people I don't really like who work in publishing.

Now I'm shaking you down. For information, anyway. As Plastic is (surprisingly, as it is part of the Internet) full of literate people, and I've heard rumors of one or two Plasticians who are (gasp!) published, I'm wondering if you have any advice for someone at the beginning of a trip that will hopefully (dear God, please, please, why not me, please) end with me having written a book and not a manuscript.

Thanks.

You know that this is probably you. So if you've never read Plastic.com, check it out now to see all the advice this poster got.