There's a little to be said about over-engineering. I'm not sure if it's perfectionism versus self-actuation or if it's about confidence in one's own ability. When I write I go over and over my work and, to be frank, I'm never satisfied with it. I just get so sick of it that I set it free. That's in my day job. Then there's my creative writing...
being honest, i would say not likely. you pretty much have to have something published, like in a literary mag or a journal of some sort. most editors dont look at anyone unless they have at least something published, and an agent. but dont let that get your hopes down, keep writing and re-writing and re-rewriting. you will get published one day!
sorry, rachel, but the part about having to be published is not really true... if the query is well written and the ms being queried about seems to be marketable, no one will care if the author hasn't had anything published... besides which, having had short stories published doesn't mean one can write a marketable book, so while having some paid credits does at least make writers a bit more appealing to agents, the lack of same will not keep them from having their mss considered, if they're good enough... the same goes for acquisitions editors at publishing houses, if you query them directly... it is true, however, that many/most of the big publishers will not even look at a query, much less a ms, if you do not have an agent... that said, there are plenty of the small indies and niche presses that will...
I feel your pain. I'm also 15 and am very afraid that if i keep going the pace that i am with my book i wont get published. ;_; it sucks and hurts the moral that i need to write.
I'm 18 and I wonder if I should study or try to hone my writing skills instead of starting off with trying to write and publish a novel, but I figure that when I get older I'll have more experience. I really hope that there isn't a minimum age or something like that.
the best way to hone your skills is to read and write constantly... there's no minimum age requirement... all that matters to agents and publishers is how well-written and how marketable the ms is... and it's never too early to start practicing... just don't expect the first thing you write to be nobel or pen quality...
