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Sometimes it sounds like a cop-out, I guess, but . . . reading books IS research. You need to be a reader to be a writer. You need to remember why you write. You need to connect with stories that inspire in you the kinds of feelings you want to inspire in your audience. And you need to pay attention to how they do it and draw your own conclusions rather than expecting instruction divorced from context to teach you everything you need to know.

Publishing resources, instructional writing, and feedback on your work are absolutely priceless, and those are often needed to get your stuff out there too. But if you just keep trying and you don’t seem to be getting closer to your publishing goal, you do have to remember that sometimes it isn’t just about persistence and study. Sometimes it is about your material not being ready.

Look at your heroes and see how they did it. You might be surprised how much they can teach you just by doing it again in front of you when you’re ready to listen.