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My last major point on how to get published our produced is based on the simple dictum that writers write. (Unless, of course, they live in Hollywood; then writers either write or strike.) But that’s the exception to the rule.

So forget about the well-paid Hollywood types who live in condo hotels. This is advice for people who haven’t made it that far just yet, but want to.

Jump at every chance to write!

Look for any chance to write for money; and sometimes, even be willing to write gratis if it means getting something produced or in print.

For example, I’ve done newspaper work (professionally, and have won awards), write blogs (for pay, modest though it may be), ghost-write for my rabbi (sometimes for pay, sometimes for free), write videogame and DVD reviews (for free product but no money), have written skits for a friend’s singles ministry at his church (for free), and have written a couple longer one-acts for another church that got produced and staged, for the exposure but no compensation.

And that’s certainly not a complete list.

In other words, while you’re working on your masterpiece, find every chance you can to get into print or produced and JUMP on it! The more writing credits you accumulate, the better a writer you’ll become and the more professional you’ll come off when you do approach a publisher with your book.

Be willing to write anything on the road to writing what you really want to write.

Some inexperienced writers are so eager to get out of their baby cribs that they often lose patience with the “submit, wait, get rejected” cycle that so often precedes an acceptance letter, that they turn instead to some of the most insidious forms of getting your work in print: self-publishing.

Well, all I can say is, it’s time to abandon the baby furniture concept, wait it out, and let oneself mature into a writer who’s ready to sit at the adult table. That’s right, my next bit of advice is simple.

Avoid self-publishing like the plague!

In some areas of nonfiction writing, like Jack the Ripper research, on a rare occasion you’ll hear about someone who survived an incident of self-publishing without going bankrupt. But not often, so avoid self-publishing like the plague.

Especially if it’s fiction. A publisher should be paying you, even if it’s a pittance or in author copies. A professional writer never pays for the privilege, and if you’re not at that level yet, wait it out and keep honing your craft.

Remember, for every writer who makes their money back, there are dozens who end up with nothing but a big printing bill and boxes of unsold books that won’t even move on eBay.

Some people can find help for improving as writers in college; others can’t handle that tuition wise and need to look more in the direction of local writers groups, many of which have free meetings to meet and critique each other’s work.

But eventually you need to grow beyond that and submit your work to an editor. That’s when it pays to be aware of this next bit of advice.

Electronic submissions and other submission guidelines

When it comes to what font to use, don’t get fancy. Some writers prefer Times New Roman as a default, but I tend to disagree. I know of many editors who, by far, prefer Courier, because it’s a monospaced font, rather than relative-spaced like Times New Roman. Courier looks like a typewriter and that’s what editors like to see, for the most part.

Many editors these days also prefer electronic submission over traditional paper mailings. Even those who don’t ask exclusively for electronic documents, at least prefer to get an electronic document along with the paper submission. Usually, burning the manuscript onto a CD takes very little time and money, and makes an editor’s life far easier.

Also, don’t get fancy with writing programs. Over 90 percent of editors looking at electronic submissions want the file sent to be in MS Word format, so even if you’re not using MS Word, make sure your program can OUTPUT an MS Word-formatted document.

Big clue: Editors HATE MS Works files! It may come free with your computer, but NO editor I know wants to deal with it. Same goes for WordPerfect.

If you can’t afford MS Word, at least use WordPad, which will create MS Word-compatible documents for you, is free with Windows, and although it may have a lot less features, it produces flawless MS Word-compatible .doc files.

Finallu, no matter what anyone says, do NOT output in .rtf, .txt. or anything else like that. The .doc format that is native to MS Word is the ONLY way to go.

The key, though, is to query for submissions guidelines so you can meet each publisher’s or editor’s expectations with no hassles.

Whether you’re writing the Great American Novel, or a DIY manual impishly titled Bonfire of the Bathroom Vanities, a lot of people wonder just how it is published writers get published and produced scriptwriters get produced. So I’ve decided to do a few posts with practical advice for beginners.

Here’s my first tip:

Make sure you know how to write well and make sure it’s your best work.

To accomplish this, seek out folks who don’t feel obligated to be kind because they are a friend, lover or family member. A local writer’s group ought to do the trick. Unless someone develops a crush on you, they’re likely to be tough but honest, which is what you want.

That said, there are a lot of posers in such groups, so make sure whoever you’re listening to has a brain.

The most idiotic comment I ever heard in a college writing class was in response to a break in the narrative. A scene ended with the main character getting into a car and then the next part of the story began with the main character across town in a museum.

Some lamebrain/pseudo-intellectual actually asked, “So, how’d he get to the museum? You never said.”

And the response of the writer? “He drove.”

Seemed fairly obvious to everyone except the pretentious writer who asked.

Ever heard of Car Angel?

Well, about 2.4 million kids know of their work. The nonprofit group looks for car donations that they can either fix up and sell, or sell as-is. It’s a tax write-off for the people who make the donation, and all proceeds get funneled into a video outreach to at-risk kids and teens.

The videos in question address issues at-risk kids and teens face, and offer advice on how to improve their situation. Without the car donations, the funds needed to make and distribute these videos simply wouldn’t be there.

Some outreaches may have questionable value in terms of helping the kids they reach, but Car Angel isn’t one of them; all proceeds go directly to video production and distribution costs and with 2.4 million kids reached so far, they must be doing something right. Worth a look, if you have an old heap sitting around gather rust.