Both of these organizations have been invaluable with their wealth of knowledge about the publishing industry. Plus, each organization has a large conference every year. Attending a conference may help get your manuscript published. You can set up appointments to speak with editors and agents, and if you are invited to send in your manuscript, it MAY be given priority since they've met you at a conference. Plus, attending a conference shows industry professionals just how serious you are about getting published. RWA and ACFW also have chapters all over the United States (and some international), making it possible for you to fellowship regularly with other writers. ACFW and RWA also have critique groups available. Finding a helpful critique group or partner may prove to be difficult, however, once an good match is found, it may help you to improve your writing skills. Some of the chapters of RWA may even have their own smaller mini-conferences for you to attend. These smaller conference can be fun, as well as educational. Once you've met with an editor (or agent) and sent off your manuscript, it's time to start another! Writing is a never-ending process, and if you get rejected, it's important to have something else in the works to pitch to an editor at your next conference. You can also submit directly to some publishers, without meeting them at a conference. Before submitting, you will need to research which publishers are looking for the type of fiction you would like to submit. You will then need to get a copy of their submission guidelines. Many publishers place their guidelines on their websites. If you don't see the guidelines on the publisher's website, you'll then need to send a letter to the publisher, requesting a copy of their submission guidelines. My writing friend, Lyn Cote, posts submission guidelines for some Christian publishing houses on her website, www.lyncote.net. Just click on the Articles And Market Page of her site. After submitting your manuscript, you may receive a phone call from the editor, offering you a contract for your novel! You'll receive the contract. Then you'll receive the thrill of receiving your advance check, and a number of months later, seeing your book on the shelves in numerous stores! After the book is out for awhile, you'll receive royalty statements and royalty checks after you've earned back the advance that the publisher has already paid you!

The last piece of advice I can give is that you need to be dedicated and determined to get published. As you can see, the process for writing a novel is somewhat long and detailed! It's hard to outline every single step on my webpage, but hopefully, you can find some advice from the books I've recommended.

Feel free to email me at dowdywriter @ aol.com (without the spaces) if you have questions about writing, or about how to go about getting your novel commercially published. I can't guarantee that I will answer all questions, but if time permits, I will feature writers' questions on my blog: www.ceceliadowdy.blogspot.com

I just wanted to point out that I don't always feel like working on my books, sometimes I have to make myself sit down and write. One way to get in the mood is to have a writing space of your own. I have my own office and I have it decorated with the artwork of Christian Riese Lassen. His sea art uses a vivid blue, and there is just something about his pictures that gives me a tranquil feeling!

So, find a space that's all your own and decorate it to suit your taste. Place inspiring decorations on the walls, and say a prayer before starting a project, asking the Lord to lead you in your writing endeavors. On my page entitled For Fun, you'll find a link to one of my favorite Christian Riese Lassen prints. Just take a look and you'll understand why his artwork decorates my office walls!