What's next?

I am now putting the finishing touches to a book I just wrote.  In addition I am also looking for a publisher.  I have been researching the internet for weeks and I still do not know who I want to publish my book.  I am seriously freaking out.  My dream is to become a published author.

What is the next step after writing?
Is it to look for a publisher? 
Do I need an agent?
How do I look towards self publishing if I do not have the funds for it?
Any ideas?

How to Write

In my journey of writing my book, I learned how to format my writing.  I had no idea that there was a correct way to write.  I just know that I love to write.  A great book that I recommend to any writer is The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers.  That book is the greatest.  It helped me in many ways such as learning about plagiarism and writing correct sentences.

Plagiarism is when you take someone else’s work and try to make it your own.  For instance, you are writing a research paper for school and you see information on line that would make your paper standout.  Instead of rewriting that article in your own words (completely), you copy and paste the entire article to your report and tell your teacher you wrote it.  You cannot take someone else’s words and change two or three words then call it your own.  Do Not Do That.  It will cost you.  If you use someone’s work, you must cite it.  Give that author credit for his or her work.

According to The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers (pg 700), this is the correct MLA (Modern Language Association) format if you are in school: 

·         Use white, 8 ½- by-11-inch paper

·         Insert your last name and pg number one-half inch from the top of every pg, aligned with the right-hand margin.

·         Use the same readable font face throughout your paper

·         Double-space the entire document

·         Left-align the body of the paper and do not hyphenate words at the end of the line.

·         Indent the first word of each paragraph one-half inch.

·         List your full name on the first line of the first page, aligned to the left.

·         List your instructor’s name with appropriate title, aligned to the left.

·         List the course for which you’re writing the paper, aligned to the left.

·         List the date you submit the assignment, aligned to the left.

·         Give the title of your paper, capitalized and centered

Reasons to Write

To write, you do not have to have a specific purpose.  Writing comes from the heart and can be somewhat therapeutic.  Writing helps me in many ways such as, forgetting about a bad day, sorting out a problem, and it helps me to better explain myself, when the words won’t come out of my mouth.  Writing gives me the ability to share my true feelings.  I also like to write for the fun of it.  For instance, I like to write poetry. 

Writing can have its own good perks such as: writing for a school scholarship.  I have personally written three scholarship essays in to which one I have one a $3,000.00 scholarship for.  I am awaiting the results for the other two.  As I found, if you are very passionate about writing, it can also be a means of income. 

In addition, if you are a teen that have something to say to your parents but cannot find a way to tell them, write them a letter.  Writing a letter can become a way of communication for you and your parents to open up to each other, and can eventually lead to you being comfortable enough to talk face to face.
Writing speaks,
Licia