Heinlein's Guide to Successful Writing

1. You must *write*
2. You must *finish* what you write.
3. Having written, you must *submit* what you wrote to someone who might be interested in *buying* it.
4. You must *keep* submitting until it either sells or has been bounced by every possible market.
5. You must *not* change what you write, *unless* an editor commits to buying it if you make the requested changes.

An awful lot of folks never get past #2...