The best advice I have for new writers is to quit. Give up. It’s too hard. You need to know more than a lawyer, though you’ll rarely be paid as well, and never be treated with the same degree of respect (or is that fear and loathing? I always get those two mixed up).
Writing is a tough business. Your friends and family won’t understand what you do. People will be dismissive of your abilities. You won’t always earn what you ought to get, and sometimes you’ll have trouble getting paid at all.
So give up.
You know why I say that? Only the kind of person who would do it anyway has the gumption to make it as a writer. Writing takes a level of feisty determination that other careers do not demand. True, it’s not a dangerous career, like police work or firefighting, nor is it a profession associated with foul smells or unpleasant activities. But it is the sort of work that can play head games with you if you’re not confident.
