“A long time ago, [contemporary science fiction writer] Robert Heinlein wrote down the
secret (the keys, so to speak) to becoming a professional writer:
(1) You must write. (2) You must finish what you write. (3) You must not endlessly
rewrite. Finish it, then send it to someone who can buy it: not to friends, not to relatives,
not to other writers in hopes of getting advice, but to editors who buy words. Don’t
rewrite unless someone who can buy it tells you to. (4) Go back to step one, and keep going
until [you are] successful. This works.”
From “Modern Letters,” by Jerry Pournelle & Alex Pournelle, in Internet World,
February 1996, page 102.
Though Heinlein's advice has been articulated by others using different words,
the gist is almost invariably the same. You might not necessarily be able to
"take it to the bank" but it is at least suitable for posting in some prominent
place.
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