So you want to be a writer. Why not a movie star? Why not an astronaut? Why not president? Maybe you could take Queen Elizabeth's place when she steps down--now there's a more accessible career to consider.

Admitting the desire to be a writer to ourselves --much less others--can seem so ridiculously daunting that we cringe at the mere thought. Yet, I have personally known dozens of people who took that first step, i.e. actually writing vs. talking about writing, and they have begun publishing in less than a year. If you think about it, that's rather like starting piano lessons and giving your first concert a year later.

As for myself, I published the first story I ever wrote, not because I'm a prodigy, but because I felt like I had nothing to lose by trying. If you're nutty enough to mutter those words to yourself, "I want to be a writer," then here are some steps to start you down that Sisyphean path:

1. Keep a journal. Don't show this journal to anyone, which frees you from censoring yourself. Give yourself permission to write anything that comes into your head, even thoughts crazier than, "I want to be a writer." This freedom primes the pump and let's you become adept at transmitting your thoughts into the written word.
   
   
2. Set a weekly writing schedule for yourself and stick to it. Yeah, I know the pros all say they write everyday. But in the beginning--when you're working two jobs to pay the rent--you may not have that luxury. Tell everyone you go to church on Sunday mornings, unplug the phone, and then write till noon. If you write five pages a day, in a year you'll have a book.
   
   
3. Take classes. Whether it's a one-day workshop at the local bookstore or an MFA program, having someone else help you with the fundamentals can tame raw talent into publishable prose.
   
   
4. Read. You must know what good literature is before you can hope to create it. Read the classics, current bestsellers, The New Yorker, the daily paper. Give away your TV and devote your evenings to becoming enriched and informed instead of "entertained."
   
   
5. Join a writing group. One of the reasons so many writers are nuts is that they spend their lives alone in a room. Having other people critique your work offers invaluable feedback, because we writers are artists who seldom have direct contact with our audience.
   
   
6. Jealously guard your time. If you're serious about becoming a good--no--great writer, there is one fact you cannot dispute: the more time you put into the practice of writing, the more chance you have of achieving excellence. This means eliminating other distractions that waste your time and sap your energy.
   
   
7. Learn to take criticism without becoming defensive. One of the toughest challenges of being a writer is learning who to listen to and who to tune out. Seek the opinion of colleagues whose work you respect, and those who seem to have your best interests at heart.
   
   
8. Protect your dream by avoiding negative people. You know, that friend who always cackles when she asks, "So when is your bestseller coming out?" Stay away from her. And that blouse you bought for her birthday? You can go in the bedroom and put that on right now.
   
   
9. Submit your work for publication. It's important to begin to build a body of published work--whether it's your neighborhood paper or The Atlantic Monthly. Be brave. Send your darlings out into the world and see what happens.
   
   
10. Rejection is part of the game. It happened to James Joyce and it will happen to you. If you hear the same reason for rejection over and over, pay attention. Otherwise, forge ahead and like Joyce, let literary history vindicate you. Oh, and be sure to send an autographed copy of your bestseller to that friend for her birthday.